Garden Of Eden: Remake
by Lizzie's last night
Summary: The wizarding world is at war against vampires and students are vanishing. Harry has a perfect life, except the man who appears in his dreams, claiming Harry as his, and Harry is starting to question whether this man is even human. The man isn't his worst problem, thats his DADA teacher... an arrogant idiot named Tom Riddle. SLASH
1. In dreams

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.**

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line. **

**Summary: !AU HP/TR Slash Vampire!Tom!** Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. **Lemons, vampireness and all that**

Pairings: Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_ this one ;) ), Severus...(this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. **

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV. **

**The Garden of Eden**

By xoxlizzie

"_But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,_

_Thou shalt not eat of it:_

_For on that day that thou eatest thereof,_

_Thou shalt surely die."_

_-Genesis 2:17_

**Chapter one-**Waking dreams

**(September 9****th****, Hogwarts School Of Witch Craft and Wizardry)**

Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry was not your typical school. The student's favourite pastime at this school is a sport called Quidditch as opposed to football. The teachers teach the students how to transform teacups into table lamps, instead of geometry. The main reason that Hogwarts was so different from other schools is that all of the students and staff are wizards and witches, as opposed from Muggles.

In Hogwarts, the students are taught many things that regular children are not. The students of Hogwarts learn how to brew potions to help werewolves on their "time of the month", how to fight magical creatures or dark wizards, and how to care for a hinkypunk. The most important thing that students at Hogwarts learn, however, is how to fight vampires.

In the wizarding world, vampires are very much real. They are not the silly spooky stories that Muggles make them out to be, vampires are very much real. While most schools are preparing children to go onto university, Hogwarts prepares the children to go and live their lives without getting killed by vampires.

The vampires are so dangerous because they are waging a war against the wizarding world. Being faster and stronger than wizards is a great advantage for them, though they are weaker than most wizards in magic. Their leader, who no one has seen ever, goes by the name of Lord Voldemort. He runs his vampires by dividing them into three categories; _Bellezza_ which means beauty in Italian (because vampires originate from Italy), _Forza_ which means strength, and _velocità_ which means speed_._

To kill a vampire is difficult, especially if they are very powerful. For this reason, the more powerful ones have Mates; Soulmates is what most Wizards call them. This mate is born to belong to and love the vampire, and they are always Wizards. Once their Mate comes of age at sixteen, the vampire is finally able to find them, though before that the vampire would have no clue who their mate is. A vampire's Mate is their vulnerability, if you manage to kill their Mate then the vampire would feel no reason to continue living and kill themselves. Though if the Mate turned sixteen and was found by their vampire, a bond would be formed and both would be double as powerful as they used to be.

Every since word got out that the king has a feeling his Mate has been born fifteen years ago, people had been frantic trying to look for her. The king would be done permanently if wizards were to kill his Mate, which would end the war. However, if the king found his Mate, then the world would be done for. Voldemort would be double as powerful, and would be double as invincible.

At most schools, students are checked to see if they have head lice, though at Hogwarts students are checked to see if they are the demonic Vampire King's Wizard Soul Mate. This process is just checking to see if the student has any vampire-like qualities; because a vampire's Mate tends to have a few qualities their vampire does. For example, an extremely fast Ravenclaw girl was checked a year ago to see if she was the Mate of a v_elocità _vampire. These qualities develop as the wizard comes closer to their sixteenth birthday.

There is one similarity between Hogwarts and regular schools, though. At most schools there is the captain of the football team who is the most popular guy in school and could beat the crap out of anyone in a fight.

At Hogwarts, there is the captain of the Quidditch team, best seeker in Hogwarts, the most popular guy in school, and could beat the crap out of anyone in a duel. Well, I guess you'll have to ignore the most popular guy in school thing, because he is the most hated guy from the slytherins point of view; I guess you could say he is the most loved by three fourths of the school.

This guy is the godson of the most famous vampire hunter, Sirius Black, and his parents were deadly hunters before they vanished. This Wizard is viewed upon by much of the Wizarding world as the next greatest vampire hunter and quite possibly the Wizard who will once and for all bring down the King.

It sounds like he has a lot on his shoulders, right?

Well, yeah he does.

I should know.

After all, I'm him. Or he's me. Whatever.

Let me formally introduce myself, my name is Harry James Potter, after my father James Potter. I'm the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, godson of the famous vampire hunter Sirius Black, and golden boy of Hogwarts. I guess in Slytherin's perspective, I would be the worst thing that's ever happened to Hogwarts. The reason why they think this is because I'm the only bloody person who'll put the Slytherin Ice Prince, Draco Malfoy in his place.

I have a lot of things to say about Draco Malfoy, but let's just leave you to figure out the details as we go along in the story.

Now that you have a few minor details, we can proceed with what I'm up to.

The school was cold this year, and you could really feel it inside the school. It was only the first week back and the grounds keeper, Ruberus Hagrid, was already getting frost in his beard. The whole school seemed to feel the cold settling in on the castle, it was like a cloud of depression. The divination teacher had sad that it was an omen of great peril that would befall Hogwarts this year, though no one really believed her.

Thinking back on it now, I really wish we had.

Wow, I'm really starting to make this sound like a horror story aren't I? Don't worry, though, the scariest thing you'll find in my story (for a while) will be my two best friends banging in the bathroom. I promise I won't go into detail though, don't worry.

There was one chamber inside of Hogwarts that was void of frost though, and that would be the Defence against The Dark Arts classroom. This classroom belonged to, in the opinion of almost every kid in the school, the best professor that's ever walked the halls of Hogwarts. I was probably one of the maybe three students in the school who didn't like this professor.

The name of this professor is Tom Riddle.

He was...it's hard to explain Tom Riddle. He was the former head of the defence against magical creature's office in the ministry, on his way to becoming Minister for magic, before he suddenly just quit his job and took up a teaching position here. The bastard has been here since I was a first year, and has been the bane of my life for five years.

That man had charisma that even a Veela couldn't compete with and maybe even the looks too; he has a certain way of speaking to people that left them shocked and wrapped around his finger. I have no clue how Riddle can do that to people, because all I feel when I talk to the dick is disgust and hatred. All in all, I guess I am the only person who could win (or even have) an argument with the arsehole, and as much as I hate to say it, he's the only person fun enough to argue with.

Some have said that I was the only person in the school who could piss of Riddle, and I'm pretty damn proud of that.

The bastard was currently standing in the front of his classroom. He was wearing dark green robes, as he usually was, it was his favourite color. His black hair was tussled and he had his usual lazy smirk in his lips. The asshole looked tired today, which was extremely surprising, as he usually never looked less than beyond perfect.

The Slytherin's and Gryffindor's were sharing Friday last period Defence and to be frank, I just wanted to end it. Quidditch Tryouts were that evening and Angelina Johnson (the captain) was in need of a new keeper and a new chaser. She needed the rest of the team to be there, to make sure that the new members worked well with the old ones.

I'd been the seeker since my first year of Hogwarts, earning the title of the youngest seeker in a century, and many said the best, too. I loved Quidditch, but my real passion was just flying. The sensation of being free and careless was wonderful, but the realisation that I could fall at moment was what gave me the thrill. Call me dumb but I get my kicks from dangerous experiences.

I felt someone nudge my arm lightly and looked to see my best friend Ron looking at me with worried eyes, "Harry what if I don't make it?" He ran a hand through his ginger hair nervously.

I sighed, Ron was trying out for Keeper now that Wood was gone, he was very good at it actually, he just needed reassurance every five minutes. I loved the thought of Ron being on the team, just not if he lost faith in himself every ten minutes. He was the youngest boy of seven children and had extremely high expectations to live up to, Ron probably thought that making the Quidditch team would help him stand out from his brothers.

"Mate, we've been practicing for two years. You're good enough to make it don't worry." I grinned reassuringly at Ron, hoping to god that he would make it. Since my godfather was together with Ron's older brother Bill, I spent most of my summers at the burrow (Ron's home) and they would practice Quidditch almost every evening.

Ron nodded but frowned slightly, "Yeah but you played the chaser. Not to be rude, mate, but you bloody suck at it."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Ron, that's not something you should say to the guy who the captain fancy's. I could mention that I didn't want you on the team and..."I broke off with a fake sigh.

The ginger laughed and punched me on the arm, "You had me going there for a moment there, bastard."

I shrugged playfully, "Maybe that's what you get for not paying attention in class, Mr. Weasley." I stifled a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't think that that's a proper punishment for not paying attention during class, Mr. Potter." A smooth as silk voice cut into our conversation.

I looked up to see Riddle standing before us with another one of his conceited smirks. Ron slunk back into his chair as his face went beat red, not able to speak to Riddle. I sat up straighter in my seat and raised my chin, putting on a smirk of my own. I wasn't surprised that Riddle had said something, class was almost over and the bastard couldn't go an entire period without badgering me somehow.

"Well, _professor_. I would assume you'd be the expert here," I replied mockingly, "what might be a proper punishment for not listening in class?"

"Hmm," Riddle smiled pleasantly, "maybe a three foot essay for you and Mr. Weasley to do, Potter." His eyes gleamed, "Without Miss. Granger's help."

The brunette Gryffindor

"My, my, Professor," I pretend to be shocked, "I always thought you were the type to believe in corporal punishment. You must be too tired, if those bags under your eyes are any indication."

The bastard's blue eyes gleamed dangerously at me and he shrugged, leaning against his desk, "The only student who deserves corporal punishment is you, Potter. You and Weasley will remain after class to discuss the topic of your essay."

I sighed and shook my head, feigning disappointment. I said nothing though, I knew my limits when it came to Riddle, I usually never followed them but he seemed to be angrier than usual today. I looked over at Ron and shrugged sighing; Ron just nodded and looked down.

The class was silent for a moment before a slytherin girl named Pansy Parkinson raised her hand. She was sitting in her regular group, the royalty of Slytherin I guess you could call them. They were sons and daughters of dark wizards; I'd heard from Sirius that most of their parents are vampires or are trying to be turned into vampires, though they managed to convince the Wizarding community that they are human. There apparently were many vampires who hid themselves among Wizards as spies, though it was mainly weak vampires who couldn't hold their own among their own kind.

When Sirius had told me this in my first year, I automatically was confused. I mean, if their parents were vampires then wouldn't they be to? Sirius had told me that sometimes, right before someone becomes a vampire they have a child to carry on their name. In other instances, the vampire mates with a Wizard so their child is a half vampire; that way, they are basically human until vampire blood touches their skin.

I glared at the group of Slytherin students; I knew that there were half vampires among them. There was no doubt that the group of Slytherin royalty were half leeches, I knew that.

"Yes, Miss. Parkinson?" Riddle flashed the twit his signature smirk and her face turned to putty.

The pug-faced girl's face became entirely red and she looked down, "I heard that Durmstrang has recently installed corporal punishment into their school." She paused and shook her head as if she was in a daze, "I heard that Hogwarts might be next."

"Good news for you, eh, Pansy," I yelled out playfully and winked at Dean Thomas (another Gryffindor) who was sitting behind me. Dean laughed and added, "Yeah, you get to be spanked by your favourite teacher!" I think everyone knew who Pansy's favourite teacher was, the bastard standing in front of her.

The entire room went quiet for a moment and everyone held their breath in shock. That was the first time anyone other than me had said something in class, even though Dean wasn't talking to Riddle. I took a minute to take in Pansy's reaction; the pig-faced Slytherin looked as though she had just laid an egg.

All of the Gryffindors burst out into laughter; Seamus Finnegan even fell out of his chair holding his stomach. Ron was holding onto his sides laughing beside me and even Hermione Granger, his girlfriend of three months, was chuckling. The group of Slytherin royalty, however, all sat there stiffly with scowls on their face.

I didn't join in on the laughter either. I, instead, chose to watch Riddle's reaction to this. Riddle seemed to have no reaction... but I noticed that he wasn't the _same_. He still stood in the exact position he was in with the exact same expression on his face as though he hadn't heard what Dean said. However, the room had somehow suddenly grew slightly darker, though no one other than me seemed to notice. Riddle had turned to look at Dean with expressionless eyes-

-And suddenly Dean was on the floor on his knees, puking.

Lavender Brown, his girlfriend, rushed over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, demanding to know what was wrong. Neville Longbotton stood beside her and rubbed Dean's back with a small frown in his face. Most of the Gryffindors had gotten up to see what had happened, the Slytherins stayed where they were but snickered slightly.

Expressionlessly, Riddle swept over to Dean and stood above him, "What happened?"

Dean's face was entirely green when he looked up and shuddered, he opened his mouth to speak but vomit came out instead. He began shuddering uncontrollably and fell to the floor, fainting. Lavender screamed beside him and tried to shake him into waking up, which of course didn't work.

"Shaking him will do nothing but damage him more," Riddle hissed, "Take him up to the infirmary, Miss. Brown. Longbottom... help her."

Riddle took out his wand to clean up the mess before turning around and standing before the class. He began the lesson again as if nothing had happened.

~~1~~

"Did you see the look Riddle was giving Dean?" I growled to Ron as we gathered our things. No one had really talked for the rest of the class while Riddle spoke of the cycles of the moon and how it affects our magic.

"I didn't see anything," Ron frowned back as he filled his bag. He was shaking slightly, though the entire class had been since Dean got sick. He was pale, even paler than usual.

How could he not have seen anything? I frowned slightly as I remembered the look on Riddle's face as he looked at Dean. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Riddle that made Dean sick, it wasn't the first time Riddle had done something like this. He had done it to me many times throughout my first three years. Since my fourth year though he had slowly reduced the intensity of the punishments he gave me. The less he punished me, it seemed, the worse the punishments were for everyone else.

I didn't understand how no one else saw it, not even the teachers. Riddle had everyone wrapped around his finger; there was no doubt about that.

"Potter, Weasley," Riddle announced from his desk, "You shall write me a thousand word essay on the role magical creatures play in our society. It is due on Monday." With that, he got up and swept out of the room.

"Git," I muttered under my breath as I packed up my things angrily. I couldn't help but notice that the classroom had gotten much warmer since Riddle had left, but maybe that was just my natural reaction to Riddle being in the room.

It was actually quite the nice classroom, every inch of the walls were covered in portraits of magical creatures. The curtains were always drawn so it was always dark, and the light came from hundreds of floating candles everywhere. It was enough light to write properly though Riddle had to let some light shine in from the windows if we ever needed to read very small text.

I had no idea how Riddle could have a nice classroom; my hypothesis was that he somehow managed to seduce another teacher into giving him their room. Who knows, maybe he was a spooky vampire and enthralled a teacher to give him their room...yeah I know I sound insane but Riddle is a really...spooky (for lack of better word) man.

"Well, at least we didn't get detention this evening," Ron said cheerfully as we walked out of class.

I had to laugh at that, "What happened to my best friend? Usually you would be bitching about the essay for the next week."

Ron grinned and shoved me, "Hey, you make me sound like a douche bag."

"Maybe because you are, Weasel, all slytherins know that," an icy voice pulled us to a stop.

I sighed, recognising that voice. "Takes one to know one, ferret-face," I smirked as I turn. I come face to face with a blond buy my age, with platinum blond hair an silver eyes. Draco Malfoy, the ice prince of Hogwarts and the prince of slytherin, smirked at me.

"My, what have I done to earn such an... icy insult?" Draco tilted his head and crossed his arms. His silver eyes were playful and fixed on me.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," Ron growled and grabbed my arm to pull me away.

"Professor Snape needs to speak with you, Potter," Malfoy announced quickly and took a step forward, as if he were going to pull me away from Ron. His silver eyes sparked with panic for a moment before I turned around and smirked.

Looking straight into Malfoy's eyes, I grinned, "And what if I don't want to talk to him?"

The ice Prince's perfect features were marred as he scowled, "I don't think he'd like that very much, Potter. He might go and find you during dinner and talk to you then, and that wouldn't be good."

I sighed playfully, "Whatever he needs to say better be good then. I don't like wasting my time, Malfoy."

"Trust me," The blond smirked back evilly, "He has _a lot_ to tell you, it will be worth your time."

Giving Malfoy one last playful look, I turned to Ron and sighed. "I better go talk to the greasy git then." I gave him a look as though I thought I was walking to my own death. Snape was the potions professor at Hogwarts and the most hated one there, too. He was cold, mean, and had a certain hatred for Gryffindors, especially me. I couldn't understand why either, I had never done anything to him. He wasn't even ugly, most witches would even say that he was very handsome, so I never understand why he was so hateful.

"Good luck, Mate," Ron sighed and shrugged, "You're going to need it." He turned around and began walking away before he stopped and asked, "Do you want me to walk you there?"

"I think little potty's a big boy now and doesn't need his little playmate to walk him to go see a teacher, Weasel," Malfoy sneered mockingly. The blond's arms were crossed and he looked extremely impatient.

Ron was about to reply before I sent him a look, telling him to let it go. I was feeling really impatient as well, and I just wanted Ron to go back to the common room or something. I ran a hand through my hair and scowled.

Ron shrugged and stalked off, muttering under his breath about 'lousy no-good slytherins'.

Neither I nor Malfoy spoke until Ron was safely out of hearing distance.

The blond turned to me and grinned, "I don't see why you chose to be friends with him, Scar-head. He's annoying, even for Gryffindor standards."

I laughed and shoved him playfully, "And he's that much worse than pug-faced Parkinson and Goyle, the boy who is fifteen and can't read?"

Malfoy grinned and began walking, expecting me to follow, "Weasley is dumber than them, if you can believe it."

"How?" I frowned as I followed him down the hallway.

"Because," Malfoy stopped and turned to look at me with a predatory smirk on his face, "He actually believed that Snape wanted to talk to you." With that he opened the door to the storage closest he had stopped in front of and shoved me in, following me.

He cast a quick locking spell and silencing spell before he pounced on me.

His lips were crushed against mine as he shoved me into the wall, pinning my hands above my head. I moaned and grabbed a hold of his hips, grinding them against mine. My mind went fuzzy with pleasure and I leaned my head against the wall, allowing Malfoy to lap at my lips like an over-excited puppy.

In case you haven't already guessed it; Malfoy and I have been meeting a couple times a week since the beginning of fourth year. It had all started out when we got detention together in the forbidden forest in the beginning of fourth year; we had been alone and began talking. It turned out that Malfoy and I were probably the only two gay guys in Hogwarts, and we both agreed to take advantage of that fact.

_**!WARNING THIS SCENE WILL BE SEXUAL SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT IT THEN SKIP THIS!**_

Malfoy thrust his hips against mine while he reached his hand behind me to give my arse a squeeze, earning a gasp from me. Malfoy took advantage of the fact that my lips parted and thrust his tongue into my mouth. I groaned as I fought for dominance and eventually won. I grabbed Malfoy's hands and switched our positions so he was pressed against the wall and I was leading the kiss.

Breaking for air, I lifted my head up and in a second, he began attacking my neck. He nipped at every inch of skin he could reach as I slide a thigh in between his, rubbing his throbbing erection with my thigh. The blond gasped and bit down rather harshly on my neck, forcing a moan out of me.

I slowly ran my hands along his stomach, teasing his nipples as I made myself familiar with his body. We hadn't done this since we had got back from summer break and it had felt like forever since I felt his body against mine.

"Fuck, Harry," Draco moaned as I cupped his erection.

I grinned and watched his face as I slowly slid down onto my knees in front of him, he watched me with lustful eyes. His entire body shook with anticipation as I laid a kiss to his clothed member, his eyes closed and he ran his fingers through my hair.

Seductively I whispered, "What do you want me to do, Draco?"

"S-Suck me," Draco moaned desperately. He looked as though he couldn't take another moment of being this hard. His face was flushed and his hair tussled. His cool demeanour was completely gone as he was lost with lust and need.

"Are you sure you want it?" I teased as I pulled down his pants and rubbed his erection through his underwear.

"P-Please...I need..." Draco moaned and thrust his hips in an attempt to get me to blow him.

I placed another kiss to his erection before whispering, "You need what?"I chuckled and kissed his erection again, playing with the band of his briefs.

"You," Draco gasped.

I grinned and pulled his briefs down, revealing his throbbing member. Lust hit me and my erection grew. I kissed the tip of his erection before sucking on the end. Draco moaned and tried to thrust into me but I held his hips back in an attempt to tease him even more.

I played with his balls with one hand while the other began to tease his quivering hole. I grinned as Draco moaned helplessly and tugged on my hair. I slowly began to take more of him into my mouth, bobbing my head as I did. I could feel Draco beginning to come and I grinned.

I thrust my head forward and took Draco's entire member down my throat, while at the same time I thrust the finger that was teasing his hole inside of him. I sucked as hard as I could while fondling his balls.

Draco released himself down my throat with a scream; he almost ripped my hair out as he did.

I tried my best to swallow all of the come I could but it was just too thick and tasted too salty. As Draco pulled himself out of my mouth, I spat as much of the come out of my mouth without letting Draco see. The git always got so offended whenever I didn't swallow.

The blond slid down to the floor and pulled me down with him. He leaned his head against my shoulder and starting kissing and sucking at my neck. I knew he was trying to leave a mark, he always did. I sighed and leaned my head against the wall, enjoying the kisses.

"You're so bloody hot, Potter," Draco moaned as he slid a hand into my boxers. He played with my hair with his free hand, his favourite habit.

"Hmm?" I moaned softly and gripped his bicep tightly. All my thoughts were focused on the hand that was slowly beginning to stroke my throbbing member.

"Yeah," Draco grinned and nipped at my ear. "I want to fuck you so bad..."

His hold on my member was tight as he stoked me softly, remembering that I didn't like anything fast or intense during sex. He pinched the tip with the hand that was playing with my hair and pulled my head down into a fierce kiss.

His stroking slowly got faster and harder until I couldn't think and all I was doing was moaning. The bottom on my stomach tingled and my balls came in close to my body and I knew I was about to come.

"Gonna-" I groaned and Draco bit down on my bottom lip hard enough for it to bleed.

I spilled into Draco's hand with a loud groan and slumped against the other boy, my head was spinning.

_**! THE SEXUAL SCENE IS OVER NOW!**_

Draco wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him in a tight embrace that I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of anytime soon. Draco Malfoy likes to cuddle, I know, weird huh? That's what I thought the first time we had ever done this together.

Draco loved to cuddle every time we did anything, especially when we had actually had sex. He would be extremely clingy every time we had sex and would try and be a git to me for at least a week after, I assumed to get my attention. He always played the part of the girl though no matter how much he asked me to bottom.

It wasn't that I didn't like the thought of being the bottom... because I really did and I was prepared to dozens of times before... but something deep down inside of me wouldn't let me give myself to someone else like that. I could never quite understand the feeling but I knew that I could never be a bottom for anyone.

"Harry," Draco whispered softly as he ran his fingers though my hair, "I want to do this in a bed from now on."

"You're the one who shoved me into this closet," I grinned playfully at him.

Draco sighed, "I know, I just couldn't wait. Blame you're Weasel for that."

I nodded and leaned up to kiss him softly. We usually acted like this after one of our meetings and I enjoyed it, it made me actually realise that Draco was more than the ice prince of Slytherin and was an actual person.

"Riddle was the one who made Dean sick in class today, wasn't he?" I asked quietly, changing the subject to one that had been bothering me for the past while.

Draco sighed, "Yeah, you noticed the look Riddle gave him, too? It scared me witless. I have never seen anyone other than him do that before." He smirked tenderly and pulled at a knot it my hair before gently detangling it.

"Do you think he's a vampire?" I asked in a low voice as if someone could hear us.

The blond shrugged, "I don't think so. My dad would have told me and he would never get past Dumbledork if he was. Plus, I don't see how any vampire could live in a castle full of humans without attacking one of them."

This was the reason why I loved talking to Draco; he was probably the only person in this castle to actually understand me. We knew basically everything about each other, neither of us really bothering to keep secrets. I knew that Draco's father was a vampire when no one else did, but I knew that if I bothered to tell anyone then they'd think I was lying. I also knew that Draco was a half-vampire but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to dislike him or fear him. As long as the blond had no immediate plans on becoming a vampire, then I didn't care.

I couldn't let go of Draco yet though I knew that we wouldn't last in the long run. Everything was perfect for now though, so I decided to just live in the moment. No one knew about us, and we made each other's lives so much better.

"Does your dad tell you everything about vampires?" I inquired softly.

"He assumes that I want to become one someday so yes, he tells me as much as I should know," Draco responded tiredly, holding onto me tighter as if I would leave him.

I relax in his grasp and sigh, "And will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Become a vampire someday?"

"Do you want me to?" Draco held my gaze intently, his silver eyes boring into my green ones.

I looked away and shook my head, "No, not particularly."

"There is your answer then," He replied simply.

We sat there in a comfortable silence for a while just enjoying each other's company. Draco was playing with my hair while I closed my eyed and laid my head in his lap. Everything was so simple during times like this, there was nothing I had to worry about or anything else I should be thinking about.

I knew that I should probably love Draco after what we had shared together and the way we fit together so well; I couldn't love him though. I couldn't really love anyone. I cared about my godfather dearly and my friends almost as much; they were my whole life. It just... wasn't enough. Nothing was ever enough for me, it was as though there was a bottomless hole inside me that no one or nothing could fill. It was... unnatural.

After what seemed to be a minute though was probably about fifteen, I sat up. Draco tried to pull me down again but I frowned at him. "I have to get back. I need a nap and to eat quickly, I promised the Gryffindor Quidditch coach that I would be at tryouts early."

Draco pouted like a little kid who couldn't have another cookie, "You can take a nap on my lap..." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed and shook my head, "I think that might lead to something sexual Draco!" I grinned playfully.

"And you'd surely _hate_ that..." Draco grinned back and leaned in to steal a kiss.

I shoved him playfully, "See you later, git."

"Bye, Pothead," the blond retorted and walked out of the door.

I waited a few minutes before following.

~~2~~

I had made it back to the Gryffindor tower in plenty of time to see Ron and his girlfriend Hermione fighting by the fireplace.

Ron seemed to be cowering and making dumbass comments while his girlfriend shouted at him. It was probably about checking out another girl or failing another text; those were Hermione's two biggest peeves. The rest of the people in the common room seemed to have sat as far away from the fighting couple as possible.

Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, were in the corner trying to convince first years to test their new inventory for the joke shop they were beginning to put together. The first years seemed to be scared out of their minds but willing to do whatever the seventh years told them to do.

I was surprised that no one else was trying to help the poor first years who had no clue what they were getting themselves into. I would have but the last time I tried, the twins had decided to test their products on me... it wasn't too pleasant.

As stealthily as I could manage, I slipped up the stairs without being noticed. I didn't want to get in the middle of another one of Ron and Hermione's agreements; if I did then I would be in the same predicament Ron was in.

"Harry!"

Oh crap, I was caught.

I slowly turned around to see both Ron and Hermione looking at me. Ron looked extremely relieved that someone else had caught his girlfriend's attention. His pale face was red and he slumped down into a chair as if he had just run a marathon. Hermione, however, was frowning.

"What did Snape need with you?" The brunette asked as I walked over to sit next to Ron. She sat on the other side of me.

I shrugged, "I did something wrong on the essay we just wrote and he wanted to yell at me for it." The lie was convincing enough, because it was something the bastard would do.

Hermione laughed and shook her head, "I read your essay before you handed it in, it was actually pretty good. I don't see why Snape has to hate you as much as he does."

"He hates every Gryffindor," I replied smoothly, "I guess it kind of makes sense that he hates me most."

"Well, I'll help you on your next essay so he has nothing bad to say about it," she stated and leaned back against the coach.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug in thanks. That was the one thing I loved about Hermione, she would do anything to help a friend who needs it. I almost felt bad for lying to her but then I thought of what she would do if I told her the truth, and I didn't feel so bad about lying anymore.

"Hey, guys check this out," Seamus Finnegan walked over and sat in the chair across from us. He was holding a news paper in his hands; his pudgy face was alight with excitement. Held the paper out to us and Ron grabbed it.

"_VAMPIRE ATTACK IN HOGSMEAD!" _Ron read the title of the article with a slight frown. He looked up at both Hermione and I with a frightened expression on his face before turning back to Finnegan, "Bloody hell man, why do you look so excited?"

Seamus's face broke into a grin and he grabbed the paper back, "I'm excited because they had caught the vampire." He flipped the page and showed us a huge picture of a female vampire.

The vampire was held in a strong body bind spell and muzzled. She was glaring into the camera as if she wanted to kill everyone in sight, which she probably did. She had red hair and brilliant blue eyes that made her look almost insane. The vampire had been classified as a Forza vampire.

"That's not all," Ron frowned as he read the article, "her name was Penelope Clearwater. She attended Hogwarts, didn't she? She dated Percy!"

Hermione looked flabbergasted, "She was a prefect! What... what could have happened to her?" She looked completely lost as if she had gotten an average mark on a test.

I shook my head in shock, still staring at the picture of the vampire, "I think that's a little obvious 'mione. She was bitten by a vampire."

The brunette frowned and shoved me lightly, "Smartass."

I grinned at her before turning back to the article, "What are they going to do with her?"

Seamus shook his head, "They don't give a lot of details but from what they've said, she is locked away in the ministry for now. She killed a man, there's no way she'll live, I think. A wizard would be thrown in Azkaban, but they don't have any mercy for leeches."

Ron looked confused, "They would have to leave her alive! The ministry wouldn't pass up a chance to learn more of the leeches' secrets."

Hermione squinted at the article, "I don't think so, Ron. From what little detail it says here, she is a weak vampire. She wouldn't know anything the Ministry doesn't already know."

"So she'll be put to death then," Seamus stated, though his voice didn't have a single trace of pity for her.

Neither of us spoke for a moment as we all took it in. I was completely shocked to see a girl that I had even spoke to (even if it was just once) had been changed into a vampire after she left Hogwarts. I felt pity for her; she probably didn't choose her fate. Chances are she was changed against her will and was now just doing what her instincts told her to do.

"Hogsmead is awfully close to here," Ron said quietly.

We all looked at him before Seamus replied, "What are you implying, Weasley?"

The ginger just shrugged and looked at the floor, "I'm not implying anything, just stating the obvious."

"No vampire would attack anyone of us here," I scowled, "they wouldn't dare."

"That's what everyone thought about Hogsmead," Hermione said tentatively, fear slipping into her voice.

I shook my head and got to my feet, "This is stupid. Hogwarts is the safest place we can be." With that, I walked away up to my dormitory. I didn't want to talk about vampires at the moment and I didn't want to admit that I was scared, too.

The boy's dormitory was completely empty, lucky for me. I could probably take a quick nap without any interruptions.

I quickly jumped into bed and closed the curtains before taking off my robes. I was so exhausted that I feel asleep minutes after my head hit the pillow.

**~~3~~**

I was dreaming, I knew it.

I found myself in a dream that I have had many times before, though never really remembered until I was in the dream again. I wasn't even sure if it was an actual dream, it felt too real to be a dream. It could have been a memory, though it didn't feel like that either. It was almost as though I was awake though asleep at the same time, if that were possible.

I had always come to the same place though I could never really remember where it was or what it looked like once I started thinking about it. From what I can say before I forget, is that it is an extremely old looking room. The walls are all red and there is huge fireplace, but never is there actual fire in it. Odd creatures are carved into the fireplace, but it is as though they are alive. Two seats are set before the fireplace, neither of them ever used.

There was a man who was always standing before the empty fireplace, staring into it. I could never decide what the man looked like after I see him; he is like a memory that is always taken from me. He always seems sad though. I'm always in the doorway of the room, never am I actually inside of it.

The man turned around to look at me as he always does. I could feel the intensity in his gaze, as though he was a man who hadn't seen water in thousands of years and I was a lake. Most of the time he would just stare at me but sometimes he would speak to me, though I wouldn't be able to remember the conversation when I wake up, the the emotions I feel during it.

"You were full of desire for another," the words were spoken in a voice so beautiful I could listen to it all day, though I could never remember the exact way it sounds, "Just recently, too. I could feel your yearning."

"Who are you?" I asked softly, unsure how to answer his statement. He always came into my dreams after I had done something with Draco, and he always acted solemn as if my mother died or something. I always decide to change the subject and I have asked this question a lot, only ever to receive the same response.

"The day you reveal to me, who you are, you will receive your answer," the words were spoken simply though they were filled with longing. I felt a pang in my heart and almost felt sorry for him for a moment, his words were just filled with such longing and pain.

I tried to look away though I found I couldn't, "What would you do if I told you?"

"I'd come for you," was the straightforward reply I got and it left me in a world of confusion and fear.

"Why?"

"Because you are mine, beautiful," the man began slowly walking forward toward me. He reminded me of a stalking predator as he moved with grace that no vampire could ever achieve.

I panicked as the man grew closer and tried to take a step back, out of the doorway.

Suddenly the room was gone and so was the man.

I opened my eyes to find myself staring up at the roof of my dormitory. The dream was over and I was awake. I sighed and shook my head, trying to get the image of the man out of my mind but he seemed to be imprinted there and impossible to remove. He was like a shadow that was always lurking in the back of my mind; he had been there ever since I could remember.

When I was younger the man used to just be a voice that would talk to me sometimes. When I was awake at night scared of the dark before I stopped believing in the boogeyman, I would hear him telling me that I was safe and he would never let anything hurt me. He had always told me to never tell anyone about him or bad things would happen, and it never really occurred to me that he might be... not human.

I had never told anyone about him or the dreams, I always thought they would think I was insane and making up an imaginary friend or something. Sometimes, I did try and tell Sirius and Bill about the man but I would always hear him in my head again telling me not to, and I never did. I wanted to believe that he wasn't real and I was insane but I knew that I was perfectly sane.

Deep down, I knew that this man was real and he was out there somewhere.

I tried to forget the fact that he would find me someday, and there was nothing I could do about it except be ready for that day.

**Okay guys this is the first chapter of the new Garden Of Eden! Thank you to everyone who enjoyed my first try at it and decided to read this one! Please review and tell if it was worth re-writing. **

**There is also a poll on my profile that I really want you guys to check out, it's really important.**

**Oh yeah, one last thing:**

**Would you guys rather faster updates but shorter chapters of slower updates but longer chapters? Please let me know!**

**Until my next update,**

**xoxlizzie**


	2. The less we know

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.**

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line. **

**Summary: !AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom!** Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. **Lemons, vampireness and all that**

Pairings: Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_ this one ;) ), Severus...(this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. **

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV. **

**The Garden of Eden**

By xoxlizzie

"And in the end, we will remember

the silence of our friends

rather than the words of our

enemies."

Chapter two- The less we know

I never really received post very much, so it was surprising the day that I got a letter.

My godfather Sirius spoke to me a few times a week via the fireplace so I never received letters from him without prior knowledge of it. The Weasley's didn't typical write to me either, considering that I see them a couple days a month. I thought it could have been Remus Lupin, due to the scratched up exterior of the envelope; but then I remembered that Remus was in the hospital and in no way fit to write letters.

Remus was a best friend of my father's and godfather's, and spends a lot of time at my house in the summer. He was a werewolf though not a particularly good one. When you first think of werewolves, you think of a buff, manly beast that had popped one too many testosterone pills. My 'uncle' Remus was as far from that image as you can imagine. I could compare him to road kill, but that would be rude. Remus's robes were usually worn and ripped, his eyes were usually encircled by dark bags, and he usually had noticeable bruises or scars from his 'time of the month.' All in all, Remus Lupin was about as scary as a monkey with a hammer.

I do sidetrack from my main point a lot though, I was originally speaking about post, and then I got onto the subject of a monkey with a hammer. It's n annoying characteristic, but trust me I have plenty more.

Anyway, I was sitting alone in my bed. My canopy was pulled over so I wouldn't be disturbed. I had a rough week. Quidditch tryouts had gone as I expected them to go, of course. Ron did well and was the best candidate for the position of keeper. He had gotten the spot, which I was grateful for, but I learned something about Ron that day.

A cocky Ron is a douche-bag Ron.

He had been flaunting his position to everyone all week, and to be honest, I was ready to shove a flaming sock full of dung just to shut him up. Well not _just_ to shut him up... also because I would find a perverse pleasure in watching him trying to cough it up. After this week, I think everyone would.

That was why I was sitting alone in my bed, looking for some peace and quiet.

A snowy white owl had flown into the room and fought its way through the canopy so it could sit in front of me. The owl reminded me of Hedwig, which raised my interest. It had a brown, tattered letter tied to its leg. I immediately sat up on my bed and untied the letter; as soon as its burden was gone, the owl flew away.

My curiosity was raging as I observed the letter; my name was messily scrawled on the front. I tentatively opened it and a frayed piece of parchment fell out. It had dirt stains and was torn in a few places. The penmanship was atrocious and smudged. It looked as though someone has written it in a hurry, not caring about its appearance.

I squinted, trying to read the writing.

_Harry,_

_I wish I could tell you so much more than I can but I cannot say anything, not like you'd believe me if I tried. I just had to write this letter to warn you._

_Something is coming to Hogwarts... and it will be more dangerous than anyone can imagine. _

_Especially for you, Harry._

_I need you to stay in the castle: please under no circumstance will you leave it?_

_Everything s changing and it isn't for the good. I have someone watching you though, and they would never allow anything to harm you. I just want you to remember that _no one_ is as they seem... not even you Harry. Remember that._

_I love you Harry and I promise you'll meet me one day._

_Elysium _

!2!

"That's pretty suspicious, Harry," Hermione pushed a piece of her bushy, brown hair behind her ear. We were alone walking toward potions, which was our first class in the morning. It was probably too early for her, she looked like she hadn't slept all night, which concerned me because I knew how upset she was about the ay Ron was acting.

I just shrugged, "what concerns me most is how they said that they had someone watching me. I wonder if they are lying." I hoped they were; because personally, I don't feel comfortable knowing some stranger was watching me.

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "I don't know what to tell you Harry. I don't see why anyone would lie to you concerning something that serious. Maybe you should tell Sirius." She was probably pissed off that she didn't know what the letter meant. That was the annoying thing about her; she just can't accept that she doesn't know anything.

I snorted, "He was probably the one who sent it, as a joke." I didn't believe that. I didn't believe it for a moment but I really didn't want to talk to Sirius like I know Hermione would force me to do. He probably wouldn't even be home, he never is. As the ministry's top vampire hunter, he was always traveling. It wasn't so bad a few years ago, he was usually home; but ever since I came to Hogwarts when I was eleven, he had been sent away a lot more than before. He had said that Brittan was becoming more and more plagued with attacks and it has been growing progressively worse throughout the years. Sirius thinks the King lives here now, but the Minister for Magic won't admit it and take proper precautions.

"Fire-call him tonight," Hermione said flatly.

"He won't be home," I grumbled softly as we neared the potions lab.

"So you'll check and see if he is anyway." Sometimes Hermione could really annoy me, like when she makes decisions for me, like now. I sighed and nodded anyway, just to appease her.

I held the door open for her as we walked into the potions lab, and was pleasantly surprised. The room was completely dark but the ceiling was charmed to show a night sky; there were thousands of tiny stars glittering around a giant pale moon, it was beautiful in my opinion but I have a love for the night.

Professor Snape was sitting at his desk copying something and looked up and glared as we came in. He rolled his eyes as I waved with sarcastic excitement at him. I hated professor Snape and have ever since I first came to Hogwarts, mainly because he hated me. That was what I didn't understand with him, he hated all kids, but the moment he set eyes in me he hated me, when I had done nothing to him. Out of confusion, I automatically hated the man back, though I still prefer him over Riddle. Snape at least was honest and real, he was straight forward with his feelings and didn't pretend to be something that he wasn't; that was why in some ways I respected Snape. I did love to annoy the arsehole as much as I could though.

Because Hermione and I were one of the first people in the class, we were able to choose where ever we wanted to sit. We sat in the back, far away from Snape and the Slytherins who sat in the front. It didn't really matter where I sat though, Snape liked to harass me wherever I was; I mainly just wanted to sit as far away from Draco as I could. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind being around Draco, it was just awkward considering he would always try to strike up an awkward conversation whenever I was near him. The bitch gets sick pleasure from making me feel awkward.

"Snape isn't very ugly," Hermione commented offhandedly as we took out our materials.

My heart missed a beat and I looked at her with a shocked expression, "Did I just hear you right? Did you just say Snape was handsome?" My tone was incredulous though I felt like laughing, considering it was probably a joke.

The bushy haired brunet frowned disapprovingly at me, "you just want to assume he's ugly because you hate him Harry. If you actually take the chance to look at him... he is kind of beautiful, you can just only notice in the dark."

"Hermione, if the only way you can look decent is if it's too dark for anyone to be able to tell what you look like, then you obviously aren't attractive, " I laughed, refereeing to snape.

The brunet pursed her lips but didn`t reply.

I don't understand the mind of Hermione Granger, I don't think anyone does including Ron, and I don't think anyone ever will. That's what I like about the girl, she isn't boring.

!3!

"Today we will be working with partners," Snape announced, standing up once everyone was in class. His black eyes scanned the class with a look of distaste like he'd bitten into a lemon, which isn't unusual for the old bat. I automatically looked at Hermione but she was scribbling something madly in her book. Leaning over, I tried to read what she was writing but she slammed up book and glare at me. I shrugged and looked away. "I will be picking your partners by the way," Snape added with a sadistic grin.

I sighed, knowing that Snape would never actually be slack and let us pick our own partner. I didn't mind very much, most of the time I was just put with Semus or Dean. I didn't bother paying attention as he read out the partners.

"Potter," Snape looked up from his list with a gleam in his eye, "You're with Longbottom."

Oh shit.

I cast a small smile at Neville who grinned nervously back, trying to hide my disappointment. Neville was the only person worse than me in potions; I couldn't have gotten a worse partner. Fuck I hated Snape.

Neville grabbed his supplies and moved to stand by me.

"How are we going to do this Harry?" Neville asked in desperation, his eyes wide and scared.

I grinned confidently back and patted him on the shoulder, "You worry too much, Nev. I have a plan."

That seemed to cheer the pudgy face boy up as his face relaxed from the frown, "What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to cheat," I replied simply.

Neville bit his lip again and cast a glance at Snape, "but won't he catch us?"

I winked, "That's why we'll be sneaky."

Neville laughed and nodded.

Snape cleared his throat once everyone was with their partner and walked to the front of the class again. His face was hardened into a permanent frown as he inspected each set of partners with an approval. The groups were well put together, every skilled person as placed with someone who weren't as good (except my group of course, we both sucked). I was surprised by one choice though; Hermione was with Blaise Zambini, Draco's best mate. They looked like they were getting along too, they were murmuring quietly to each other.

"The project that you will be working on will take a week," I turned my attention back to Snape once he began speaking again. "It must be done at night, which is why I charmed the classroom to look like this," He beaconed to the ceiling, "It is a replication of last night's sky. Any questions so far?"

I rose up my hand and put on an arrogant smirk. I was pretty pissed off that he was trying to make me fail and I wanted to annoy the piss out of him.

Snape's gaze fell on me and he rolled his eyes, "No questions?" Okay then, the project potion that you'll be brewing is called 'Diepste Verlangen', which is Dutch for 'deepest desire." Snape paused and I glared at him for ignoring my question. He began pacing before the class, carefully holding everyone's attention, "this potion shows you what you desire most in the world, turning it into an image in the potion. Some may not even know that they even desired what they see. For some, this revealation will be wonderful and an incentive to achieve it." He paused and his eyes scanned the crowd and stopped on me, "For others, the revealation could be terrible. I could tear you apart, as it has to others in history."

Snae pe paused for effect before strolling over to the boiling potion which had been sitting on his desk. He grabbed a vial filled with a fizzing, green substance from his robes and tipped two drops into the potion. The potion began spitting though quickly stopped when Snape stirred the contents.

He turned to look at the class. "This is an example of Diepste Verlangen that I have brewed. Are there any volunteers who would like to see what their deepest desire is?"

A few hands shot quickly into the air, a few others hesitantly followed, mine included. Snape regarded everyone for a moment before his gaze flashed on a platinum blond sitting in the front that did not have their hand up.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you like the chance to see what you desire the most?" Snape's gaze softened as he spoke to his favourite student.

I sat up straight; I'd personally love to know what Draco desired the most. Honestly, deep down, I hoped he would desire me the most, which I know he probably doesn't. All we had was a fling, something that meant nothing an never would. I knew it was foolish to wish for more from someone like Draco Malfoy, but I couldn't help but hope. Maybe if we were two different people and Draco wasn't a half vampire who will one day be forced to become one, and I wasn't strictly human, the godson of the most infamous vampire hunter in Brittan, then things would be different. But this was the way things were, and they weren't going to change no matter what I wanted.

Draco cast his eyes down and shook his head, "No thank you professor. I already know what I desire the most," He replied quickly.

For a split second his eyes flashed up to meet mine. His expression was a cold, bored mask. I could see through it though, Draco was nervous. He put on a good front, trying to look cold and emotionless; I could see past the blond's facade though, and was probably the one who actually understood him. The look that he gaze me meant more than it seemed... I ould have to ask him about it later.

Snape's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before he nodded and turned his gaze on someone else. It landed on Blaise, "how about you Mr. Zambini?"

The dark haired slytherin smirked and nodded, standing up. "I'd love to professor."

Snape nodded and led him over to the caldron, "Just breathe into the potion and it should begin to boil. In a moment, the image will appear."

Blaise nodded and leaned in close to the potion as he breathed deeply into it. With a satisfied smirk, he leaned back up and waited. Secretly, I hoped that nothing would happen and the Snape had brewed it wrong, just to wipe the smug grin off the retard's face. I could just imagine the old bat trying to explain to the class that the potion didn't work because it was brewed wrong; that would be better than ten Christmases.

Sure enough, the potion began to boil.

Fuck.

Blaise's face melted into shock and he blinked a few times, as if he was making sure he knew what he was looking at and it wasn't a joke. I almost wanted to stand up and see what was in the caldron, though Snape would surly yell at me. The dark haired Slytherin's greatest wish was probably to take over as vampire king, every Slytherin was like that.

Without a word Blaise went and sat back down, his eyes glued to the floor with a frown marring his usually handsome face.

Whatever he saw in the potion had obviously left him troubled. I wish I knew what it was, because obviously there was something more to Blaise Zambini that meets the eye, and I was curious to know what it was. The boy had never really bothered me very much throughout the years; he wasn't out-right rude to other houses like Draco or the other Slytherins. He was always just _there_, always standing with Draco whenever he was tormenting someone, always there but never taking part in it.

Yeah, there was something different about Blaise Zambini. I was going to have to ask Draco about it.

"Harry?" I looked up and nodded at Neville. The chubby-faced boy frowned at me, "We can get our potion ingredients now."

I just nod, watching as Blaise casually slipped a note into Hermione's book.

!5!

The afternoon went fairly well.

Ron was still being a turd, and Hermione wasn't really around much but I didn't really mind. I had a lot on my mind today and just enjoyed being alone. I still kept wondering what the note Blaise had slipped to Hermione had meant. The one chance that I had to speak with the brunet, she had said that it was only a list of ingredients that we needed.

For the first time since I had met her, I knew Hermione was lying to me.

I let the matter go for now though, I knew she was smart enough to make her own choices. I was going to watch her though, in case anything bad was happening. I'm a pretty shitty judge of character, and Blaise may be just as evil as Riddle.

While I'm thinking of him, I might as well mention that Dean is fine. He got out of the hospital wing that night. The nurse never could figure out what had happened to him to cause him to puke, which I kind of expected. Riddle probably used his evil powers to cast an evil spell to punish Dean.

I sound crazy don't I?

Trust me, I'm not.

The day that the everyone finds out that Riddle has a plan to take over the world, is the day I can say 'i told you so'.

"I talk to myself in my head, don't I?" I mentioned out loud. Oh shit, now I'm actually _talking_ to myself. I need a hobby. I was heading back to the Gryffindor tower after dinner, and I was alone. I left early, hoping that if I snuck out quickly no one would come with me. I felt like being alone for a while, but to be honest, now I'm actually kind of lonely.

"I think everyone talks to themselves sometimes. People who don't are weird," A soft voice commented. I just as a blond haired girl came up beside me, a soft smile on her lips.

I grinned back and shook my head, "I don't think you're the best judge of who are weird and ho aren't, Luna." Luna was a year younger than me and in Ravenclaw. She was picked on a lot for how strange she was, though I found her entertaining. Everyone thought she was insane but, To be honest, sometimes she makes more sense than 'sane' people.

She cocked her head, "What makes you say that, Harry?"

I laughed and shook my head, stopping and looking out the window. It was dark out now and the grounds we lit with the light of the moon. I smiled softly at the comforting sight. Luna came up and stood beside me, staring out the window.

"It's a beautiful night out, isn't it?" I grinned as I watched an owl fly across the sky.

The blond girl nodded, "I think the night is more beautiful than the day. No one else thinks so though, all because people are afraid of the night."

"And you're not?" I raised an eyebrow.

She looked and me and smiled, calmly shaking her head. "Of course not, there`s nothing to fear out there that you shouldn`t fear during the day."

I grinned playfully, "What about vampires."

The blond girl just shrugged and stared back out the window. A gentle breeze blew through her hair and she sighed softly, `Harry, I think vampires are misjudged. " She stated plainly, her voice determined.

I laughed at that, "how so"

She frowned at me and shook her head,"Never mind. " With that, she glared at me then stomped away in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower.

What the hell!

I sighed and closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair. I had no clue what I said that could have offended her, and I was so glad that I was gay. Girls were too high maintenance and way too confusing. Guys were upfront with things and would let you know what you did. Guys were so much easier to handle.

I shook my head and opened my eyes, gazing one last time at the grounds. I was about to turn around until I saw something that made me pause.

There was a dark figure walking across the grounds, toward the forest.

My heart beat faster as I squinted out to see what it was. It was definitely a person, though I couldn`t make out any details, I could only see their general form. The forest was deadly at night, it was full of dark magical creatures. It was where you went if you wanted to die a painful death. Why would someone from the school be going into it calmly?

I leaned out, trying to figure out who it was.

Abruptly, the figure paused and turned around to face the castle.

I couldn`t tell completely, but I think whoever it was looked back up at me.

I just stared, unable to look away, even as they turned around and walked calmly toward the forest until they were swallowed by the darkness.

What the hell was going on?

!6!

The Gryffindor tower was silent when I got back.

A fire was crackling merrily, even though there was no one around to enjoy it. It seemed like a pity to me, but I just sighed and trudged up to my room. Maybe I could grab a quick shower before the other guys got back and piss me off.

I sound pretty anti-social, don`t I?

I`m not though, I promise.

When I got back up to the room, I heard a soft weeping.

Frowning, I slowly opened up the door. I hoped a girl hadn`t come into our room and ruined it to get back at their boyfriend, that happened once in fourth year. I've hated Pavarti since then, and Semus has pissed me off too for breaking up with her.

I opened up the door to find Ron laying on his bed, years running down his cheeks. When he saw me, he quickly sat up and glared defensively. He wiped his cheeks dry, trying to get rid of the evidence of his tears, but I had always seen.

"Hermione broke up with me, "Ron stated before I could ask.

I walked over and sat on my bed, which was beside his and patted him on the shoulder, someone dazed myself. Ron and Hermione were the perfect couple; I think we all expected them to last forever. What shocked me the most though, was that I had been with Hermione all day and she hadn't mentioned to me that she was going to break up with her long term boyfriend and my best friend.I really had no idea what was going on with her.

"She told me before dinner, " Ron explained, his eyes glued to the floor as another year rolled down his cheek. "She told me that we were just too different and she wanted a break. "

"I'm sorry, Mate, " I cooed sympathetically. "I expected you guys to last forever. "

Ron sighed and looked up with me with watery eyes, "I did, too. I guess forever is a little too much to ask for. "

We didn't really talk much after that. There wasn't really anything to say. This was something neither of us expected and I don't think we really knew how to react to it. I was somewhat glad that Ron was back to normal though, even if he had to have his heart broken for him to lose his arrogance. I wanted to tell him about everything that I was worried about, about Blaise, about the letter, and I wanted to tell him about the figure walking into the forest.

We could talk about all of that another day though, for now I just wanted everything back to normal.

When the world was sane.

**End of chapter two.**

**Omg I don`t know how I tell you guys how sorry I am. **

**It`s been half a year since I`ve updated, I am so sorry. My laptop broke and I had to wait until Christmas to get a new one. Finally stopped being lazy and got a job though (at mcdonalds lol) so next time my laptop breaks i`ll be able to get a new one quickly.**

**I hope that you guys aren`t too pissed at me, even if this chapter is extremely shitty. **

**Please review, even if it is to bitch at me for taking so long to update.**

**xoxlizzie**


	3. You're just not a cookie person

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.**

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line. **

**Summary: !AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom!** Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. **Lemons, vampireness and all that**

Pairings: Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_ this one ;) ), Severus...(this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. **

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV. **

**The Garden of Eden**

By xoxlizzie

_"Love that we cannot have is the one that_

_lasts the longest, hurts the deepest _

_and feels the strongest..."_

_~Anonymous~_

Chapter three- You're just not a cookie person

I'm stalking Blaise Zabini.

Well... I wouldn't call it _stalking_... just following him in a conspicuous manor, not creepy at all. I'm not weird. Well, I'm not following him alone; I've got Ron with me. I'm not quite sure if it was a good idea to bring him though, he is about as conspicuous as an elephant in a group of flamingos.

It's been a couple of days since Ron and Hermione broke up and Ron was still sad about it, but he wasn't moping anymore. I told him about everything that happened and he decided that we should follow Zabini and see what he's up to. Okay, it was my idea that Ron agreed to, whatever.

The rest of the school was in Hogsmeade for the day, it was the first day of the year that we were allowed to go into the village. We were supposed to go a couple of weeks ago but because of the vampire attack, we had to wait until they properly secured the village. I didn`t care about going though, I`d rather follow Zabini.

He stayed in Hogwarts alone, which is what raised my interest. No one ever stayed back at school when you could go to Hogsmead. He was up to no good, and I was determined to figure out what it was.

That was why Ron and I were sneaking down the corridor's staying far away from the speed-walking Zabini. The dark haired Slytherin was walking around, seemingly without purpose, he just seemed to be going in circles. I first thought that he knew Ron and I were following him so he wanted to lose us, but after an hour we realised that he was actually up to something; no one who wasn't up to something would stay in Hogwarts and wander around the halls.

"Harry, let's just give it up," Ron growled softly in m ear as we turned a corner to follow the wandering Slytherin. "He isn't actually up to anything, he's just walking around aimlessly!"

I shook my head and ignored him, I knew something was up and was going to figure out what it was, even if Ron didn't care. He was just too thick-skulled to see what was going on.

After another minute, Zabini stopped.

Ron and I just behind a statue and stood as still as we could. Conspicuously, I peered out from behind the statue to see what the other boy was up to. My heart was running a marathon in my chest and I grinned in anticipation.

A figure stepped out of one of the classrooms, toward the dark haired Slytherin and my heart sped up. What was Riddle doing here? Most teachers went to Hogsmead, Riddle being no exception. He didn't look like he was getting ready to go out either. Oh the contrary, the black haired man was wearing a green silk button down and slacks, definitely not appropriate attire for a (almost) winter day.

Blaise backed up when Riddle stepped out of the classroom and his eyes widened. He backed right into the wall and swallowed visibly. "S-sir...I-..." Blaise's regularly deep voice was high as he stuttered. His eyes were glued to the floor and he twisted his tie in anxiety, well I thought it as anxiety.

I felt Ron tug on my robes, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pair in front of me. Who knows what would happen? Riddle was observing the boy with a look of disdain and amusement... like Blaise was a toy. I needed to see what would happen! Maybe Riddle was secretly a werewolf and was hungry and was going to attack Blaise! I could catch him and show everyone that he actually is evil!

Ew, I sound like an idiot, don't I?

Don't answer that.

Riddle took a step toward Blaise and sighed, "You must stop this, Zabini. It isn't _healthy_."

Blaise frowned at the ground and seemed to be struggling with something. He couldn't seem to be able to find the words he wanted and looked somewhat pathetic. "No... It's different this time. I s-swear, it felt different. It _means_ more this time."

Riddle sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Why must children always think with their genitals?"

The question was obviously a-

_You're in danger love._

The words seemed to be whispered inside my head. They were neither from Ron nor the two people standing before me. The voice was soft and felt like a cool breeze that blew through me, the ghost of a whisper. The words filled my head and comforted me, from deep inside I felt my heart slow and I took a few deep breaths.

The words had an even larger effect on me though, they buried themselves into my brain and I knew that I _had_ to get out of there. It was urgent; I believed the voice wholly so fear began to bury itself in my heart. If I was in danger... did that mean that Riddle would actually hurt me if no other teachers knew? Just because we were eavesdropping on a private conversation?

A sinking feeling in my chest was my answer.

I suddenly felt horrible for bringing Ron: what if I had gotten him in a lot of trouble just because I had a sudden fascination with a Slytherin? If anything bad did happen then it would be entirely my fault, and I don't know if I could handle that guilt.

A part of me felt stupid though: did I really expect a teacher to hurt me in broad daylight, in the middle of my school, where any teacher could come and find out? I was acting like Riddle was a hormone enraged vampire.

"Sir... you don't understand..." Blaise whimpered, looking down. He was shuffling uncomfortably and seemed to be coming undone under the blue eyed man's gaze.

I could almost feel the temperature in the vicinity drop as Riddle considered the question, when he spoke, his voice was an angry soft hiss, like that of a snake, "I don't _understand_? _I_ don't understand? How dare you say that to me?" He took a step toward Blaise so the student was pressed against the wall looking like he was having a heart attack. "I deal with it every second, of every hour, of every day and on a scale that you can't even comprehend!"

Blaise was trembling against the wall, letting out whimpering sounds. He looked scared out of his whit's as he raised his chin, though it wasn't a sign of impertinence, it looked like a sign of his submitting; neither of which I could understand. "I'm s-sorry, I di-didn't mean..." He broke off as his voice died in his throat.

I looked back at Ron with wide eyes, silently asking him what the hell was going on! He looked just as scared and confused as I felt; his fair skin was paler than usual. He looked like all he wanted was to melt into the wall and cry.

How could a teacher talk to a student like this? Even if it is riddle, this is completely wrong.

Riddle seemed to eye the student with disgust. "Look at you! You are nearly crying, petrified and pitiable. This is a disgrace, I expect you to be stronger, far stronger. I will not accept weakness, weakness leads to failure and death and ignominy. Get your act together, how would your mother feel if she saw you right now?"

Blaise wiped his eyes and sighed, "My mother would be embarrassed."

Riddle took a step back and sighed, sounding tired, "If you do not change by your graduation then I will not show you mercy, Zabini. Your issue is a common one, do not expect sympathy, do not expect special treatment."

Color came to Blaise's cheeks and he nodded, "I will try harder next time. I'm sorry, sir."

Riddle sighed and shook his head, "Don't be sorry for now, you myst not have been taught better. I would like you to talk to professor Snape about this, he would know more than me to be honest."

"Why sir would he know more than you?" Blaise asked curiously. His eyes widened and he put his hands in front of his mouth as though he had insulted Riddle. He leaned back and seemed to prepare himself for Riddle to strike him. "S-sorry I shouldn't have asked-"

He stopped the moment Riddle raised his hand, "A good life lesson to abide by is to never say that you are sorry. If you have done something to hurt another person, then sorry will not help you. If it happens that you have offended someone then you take your punishment or you do something to make up for it. Sorry is a poison word that is used by those who do not wish to be punished."

Blaise just held his head down and nodded.

Riddle regarded him for a moment before sighing, "Snape knows me than me about the subject because he is happily bonded with the man he loves. I, however, am not."

That is interesting, I thought with sudden curiosity.

Blaise nodded again, knowing better than to say anything this time. He looked slightly curious in what Riddle what revealed also, though I don't think he was going to be asking Riddle anything for a while.

"Is that everything you wanted to see me about?" The professor asked.

Blaise nodded his head quickly, "yes sir."

"Good. Then Mr. Weasley will escort you up to the great hall for lunch," The blue eyed man said with conviction, it was an order not a question.

Oh shit.

Ron and I froze and looked at each other.

Oh fuck, he had known we were there the whole time?

Why wouldn't the bastard have said anything before then? Did I really just get Ron in trouble? It didn't seem like it considering that he just told Ron to leave with Blaise (which was a punishment all in itself). So he must not be angry about it.

Wait...

Riddle never mentioned that he wanted me to go with them.

With that realisation, my heart sank.

Taking a deep breath, determined to not let the bastard goad me, I pulled Ron out from behind the statue and into sight. The dark skinned Slytherin looked like he was ready to blow a blood vessel but he seemed to be trying to hide his anger while Riddle was there.

The bastard was smiling smugly, "You can be off now lunch should have started twenty minutes ago." He turned his eyes on me, "Mr. Potter, I'd like to have a word with you."

Blaise nodded and began walking off in the direction of the great hall, not waiting for his red haired escort. Ron cast me a pleading look before sighed and following the Slytherin. I watched them go; dread filling my heart before I could think.

"I'm hungry," I stated bluntly before anything could be said.

Riddle seemed amused by this and smirked, "I have tea and cookies in my office."

I frowned, "the kitchens have probably made roast beef sandwiches and soup and all you have to offer is tea and cookies?" I know I probably sounded like Prick but I really didn't want to go with the man, I hated him and as much as I didn't like to admit it... what I just witnessed kind of scared me.

"They're really good cookies," the bastard pointed out and began walking off toward his office, expecting me to follow.

I huffed and followed, knowing that I had no choice in the matter. "I doubt that," I said indignantly, crossing my arms. I walked beside the bastard and met his pace, which was kind of hard because he walked fast and didn't even seem to realise it.

He raised a perfect eyebrow in amusement, "What makes you think that?" He seemed genuinely curious to know my answer.

I just shrugged, "No offence, _sir_, but you're not a cookie person."

That made him laugh.

I shivered at the sound, it was so pleasant to listen to... _too_ pleasant to listen to. I could have listened to him laugh all day and not gotten tired of it, which is what scared me. I didn't want to be one of the people who mindlessly loved the bastard. I don't understand why but I had to stand out more than that... mean more than that. I know it's confusing, I didn't even understand it sometimes.

"On the contrary, I love cookies. How do I seem like I'm not a cookie person?" He tilted his head.

I grinned up at him, "It's against school rules to insult a teacher."

"If I asked, then I'm ready for the answer no matter how harsh it is." Riddle grinned back, "Even if it is insulting, I would like to know."

I just sighed, "Cookie people are happy and nice. You're..."

"I am what?"

"The opposite of that, to be honest, _sir_," I replied with a grin. "Let's just say you're not as lovable as a bundle of kittens."

Riddle laughed, "I don't see why you don't like me, Potter."

"Whoever said I didn't like you, _sir_?" I tilted my head, feigning innocence.

The dark haired man cocked an eyebrow at me, "Do not play dumb with me, Harry. I understand what you think of me. You remind me of your father more than I could ever explain to you. You both have the same confidence in yourselves. He is the only other person who I could ever imagine could sneakily listen to my private conversations." He seemed amused by the end of his little speech.

I tuned out after he mentioned my father. "You knew my dad?"

"You could say that."

"How?" I asked curiously, my eyes wide with interest.

He man shrugged, "we met long ago on our travels... he is not a person you could easily forget."

I nodded, so engrossed by the mention of my father that I barely noticed when Riddle led me into hsi office and closed the door behind us.

!1!

Ron Weasley was uncomfortable.

He and Blaise Zabini had been walking for two minutes in silence. The Slytherin had walked as far away from him as possible and kept his head down, like he was afraid to look up. Neither had anything to say to the other so they just walked quickly, hoping that they'd get to the great hall soon.

Ron had been thinking about the Slytherin's conversation with his professor, trying to make sense of it. He was looking forward to discussing it with Harry when they could. The more the red haired Gryffindor thought about it, he realised how private the conversation he had listen to really was. He began to feel sort of bad for intruding on it and was considering the pro's and con's of apologising to the boy walking beside him.

In the end, the pro's won and Ron rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Zabini..."

The Slytherin looked at him questioningly, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

That seemed to through the dark haired boy off balance and his eyes widened in surprise. His eyes softened and his lips twitched, about to form a smile, "if our positions were reversed then I probably would have done the same, Weasley, so don't be sorry."

The red haired boy sighed and shook his head, "But I'm a Gryffindor; I'm not supposed to do stuff like that. People expect it from you." He didn't realise how rude that sounded until it came out.

The dark haired boy grinned softly, "So I can get away with things because of what house I was sorted into? That's rather good to know, I'll have to remember to do more mischievous things from now on, just to live up to my expectations at least."

Ron blushed, knowing the Slytherin was making fun of him, "I didn't mean it like that."

Zabini nodded thoughtfully, "I know, I am sorry for being rude. I was just caught unawares. I didn't expect a _Gryffindor_ to apologise to a _Slytherin_." He laughed when he had finished.

Ron grinned back, "I was just, you know, living up to my expectations as a lion at least."

They laughed and grinned at each other and Ron was shocked by how bright Blaise's eyes were.

They didn't speak again for the rest of the trip, though the silence wasn't awkward. Ron noticed that the other boy was walking closer than he had been when they first started.

!2!

"You're essay left much to be desired," Riddle handed me the essay he had assigned.

I took it from where I was sitting behind his desk and examined it. I didn't do too badly, though I knew I'd never do well. No matter how hard I tried, I just wasn't that great in this class. I was domed to be painfully average, which wasn't completely a bad thing... but I was just accustomed to standing out to some degree.

I, however, frowned at a note that he'd written. _You forgot to mention all of the magical creatures that have an influence in society. _That didn't make any sense; I had asked Remus (who worked in the control magical creatures section in the ministry) for ideas and he had given me all of the main ones. I definitely shouldn't have lost any points for that one.

"You marked this wrong," I stated simply and frowned up at him.

He cocked un eyebrow, though he seemed to have expected me to be unhappy with my mark, "What did I mark incorrectly?" He asked simply, leaning forwards in his chair. We weren't actually in his office, we were in his classroom and I pulled a chair up in front of his desk. The plate of cookies and tea was sitting in front of me, and they smelled delicious but I knew they were evil, because Riddle was evil.

"I did name all of the creatures that influenced the ministry!" I exclaimed, shocked that he would mark it wrong. See? This was an example of how evil he is. I'm not crazy.

The blue eyed man took the essay and read it through quickly. He shook his head and turned his eyes on me, bright and piercing, "I marked it perfectly, Potter. You missed the main magical... creature... that influences the ministry." He stated this calmly, though he must have knew that I'd fight about it.

I make a big deal out of everything with him.

"I named werewolves, centaurs, Veela, and Mer people!" I was so upset that I got to my feet and crossed my arms in anger. Why did the bastard always have to think he was always right and I was always wrong? It pissed me off _so_ much!

Riddle seemed unbothered by my tantrum and stated calmly, "My, my, Potter, you do like to throw a tantrum a lot. It reminds me of a child. It isn't flattering. Sit down and calm yourself; the creature you pissed was vampires."

I frowned and shook my head, refusing to sit down, "Vampires affect nothing! They are animals who are slaves to their instincts; they don't have enough power to influence the ministry!" I was so upset that I could hardly bare it. Riddle took marks away from my presentation for _no good reason_! The bastard just wanted me to fail!

This seemed to have raised Riddle's interest. His eyes gleamed and he leaned forward in his chair, surveying me with silent curiosity. "You believe that vampires are that incomplex?"

I silently nodded, lowing myself back to my seat, though I never stopped glaring at the man. He knew how to piss me off worse than anyone.

"They are just as wizards, probably more so, to be honest; their minds are larger and can process more thoughts than a human, they also feel emotions to a degree that wizards could never comprehend." Riddle stated this all so simply, all so smoothly, that it sounded as though he had said this a dozen times before. Due to the interest in Riddle's eyes, this was probably a new conversation subject for him.

I shook my head and leant forward, "if what you say is true, then how can they kill so easily? If vampires have the moral complexity of humans, then how can they feel no guilt for harming and killing so easily? If they're emotions are so developed, then how do they not form family ties?" I countered easily.

Riddle smirked at that, "They have morals, the same as any creature does. You just do not believe that they do, simply because they're morals are different from a wizard's. What vampires feel horrible guilt in, are actions which wizards do every day. Lying? It is a sin to a vampire. Betraying someone, even worse. How humans can be so weak and without pride or rule is a mystery to vampires.

Family ties? Vampires feel that every other vampire they come across is they're sister or brother. In a sense, their family ties are far more complex than that of humans. Vampires _take care of each other_, something a human is unable to do."

I nodded and just stared at Riddle, completely in awe that the bastard could feel so strongly towards a subject. "How do you know that this is true? What if you are lying?" My voice sounded just as confident, even though I did not have a counter to riddle's statement.

The professors blue eyes softened as he took a sip of his tea, he seemed surprised that I had not fought back. I wasn't going to though, because Riddle had made a good point. As much as I hated the man, he was right and I felt rude fighting just so I could be right. The man sat back in his seat, "I worked in the ministry about five years ago, before I worked at Hogwarts. I had to deal with vampires quite a lot. After a while, you begin to learn redeemable qualities about everyone, Harry, even vampires."

"Why did you leave?" I asked curiously.

The ministry, apparently, was a rather good place to work. It sounded as though riddle would have had a good job, which meant he would have money, information and power. I couldn't imagine someone like Riddle passing up an opportunity like that. The bastard seemed to strive off of power, so his old job would have been perfect.

A faraway look entered the man's eyes and he winced, as though he had remembered something very painful. It was disturbing to see such a look on the man's face, to see such strong emotion coming through. I wasn't aware the prick could feel any real emotion, let alone anything that strong.

He cleared his throat after a moment and sighed, "I... something called me to Hogwarts, it still does. It just feels like the place to be." Somehow, that statement seemed to mean a lot more to him than it did to me.

I tilted my head, "Are you ever going to go back?"

Riddle smiled softly and shook his head, "no, the ministry means little to me anymore. Once I no longer feel... connected to Hogwarts, I believe that I will leave."

I nodded and took a bite of my cookie. The other man seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, as was I. I wondered what called him to the school. Childhood issues? Most likely. The defence against the dark arts professor had _a lot_ of unresolved issues, you could see it in his eyes sometimes whenever he speaks about the school.

I looked up at him. He was sipping his tea and scribbling something down on a kid's essay, though his mind didn't seem to be into it. His writing was slightly curved and he sighed a lot. It seemed as though he had forgotten I was here. For some reason, after seeing his passion towards something that wasn't himself, I didn't feel the searing hate that I had felt a few minutes ago. I felt as though I understood him more, which made a difference to me.

This wasn't permanent though, I knew that though.

He would be back to being the bane of my existence soon enough.

"Riddle?"

"Potter?"

"You... kind of are a cookie kind of person," I mumbled softly, looking down.

Riddle cracked a smile that took up half of his face and melted his eyes. Whatever seemed to have been bothering him a few moments ago was gone and he seemed to be genuinely amused, "Really now. Well, I'll take that as a complement."

"It is," I nodded before bursting out into laughter.

"What is so funny?" He cocked an eyebrow.

I grinned up at him when I finished laughing, "I just imagined you puttering around a kitchen wearing a pink apron, fussing over your cooking."

That made him laugh, too.

By the time I had left, I felt as though I had made a truce with the bastard.

Just for today though, we'd go back to hating each other tomorrow.

!3!

"Harry have you seen Hermione?" Pavarti Patil called out to me as I passed the great hall. She was standing with Dean, Lavender, Neville and a few other Gryffindor. "She walked down to Hogsmead with us and then vanished as soon as we had gotten down there."

I frowned and stopped, "I haven't seen her."

Lavender grimaced, "She's probably just walking back up now, and it's only six anyway."

I nodded and they turned away, going back to eat their dinner. I was troubled; Hermione would never stay in Hogsmead alone, especially not this late. I would have to check the common room, and if she wasn't there then take a quick walk around the grounds. She was probably just hanging out around the lake or something and lost track of time.

"Oh yeah, Harry?" I turned back and Dean was standing at the doors.

"Yeah?"

"Ron was fighting brutally with Blaise Zabini a couple of hours ago. I think he's back in the tower, he's pretty upset." He stated.

I nodded and grinned in thanks, then turned around and headed back for the Gryffindor tower. I never really expect Ron to be able to handle being around a Slytherin for longer than five minutes without having an anger attack.

I was passing the empty charms classroom as I felt an arm wrap around my wait and my shoulder and pull me into the deserted classroom. I jumped in surprise and pulled out my and faster than I thought possible, holding it up to my attacker's throat.

Draco's eyes widened and he backed up, "My god, Potter, calm down." His tone was full of amusement though and he grinned. His hair was wet and his hat, gloves and jacket were lying on one of the empty desks. He looked really cute.

I huffed and put my wand back into my pocket, rolling my eyes, "It's sort of hard to be calm when I was just attacked."

Draco rolled his eyes, "That wasn't me attacking you...this is though!"

Before I could react, he pounced on me. Shoving me to the wall, he pressed himself against me and peppered my face with soft, affectionate kisses. He entwined his fingers with mine as he kissed me on the mouth. His kisses are usually sloppy as he usually just tries to shove his tongue in my mouth; this time, however he didn't try to gag me with his tongue. He gently pressed his lips against mine and traced out my lips carefully with his tongue.

I sighed and leant into the kiss, really enjoying it. It was nice whenever Draco was affectionate like this, it usually never led to sex but just holding each other. This was a side of Draco Malfoy that no one but I got to see, and it was all mine. I loved that feeling.

The blond broke off an pressed his forehead against mine, "I missed you Harry."

I grinned and pecked his lips once, "you just missed the sex."

Draco pouted and shook his head, "you think I am such a man whore! Am I not allowed to miss just hugging you?"

I playfully took a minute to think about it (earning me a playful slap on the arm), "You would be... if you cleared a few things up for me."

Draco's eyes shot down to my penis and grinned.

I laughed and kissed him again, "That's not what I meant."

Draco frowned curiously and nodded, sliding us down so we could sit down beside each other, "Well you know you can ask me anything you want... within reason." Draco seemed rather hesitant and unsure of what would happen.

I bit my lip and asked, "I-I know there's something different about Blaise Zabini."

Draco's icy eyes narrowed, "Yes, he isn't one hundred percent normal."

I took a deep breath and quickly said, "Okay, he's a Slytherin but doesn't act like a douche bag, like the rest of you. I never noticed him until I saw him looking into that potion and he seemed... strange, then he slipped Hermione a note, then I follow him-"

"What?"

"-and he was talking to Riddle and it was so strange and I even heard a voice in my head while I was watching them, and he treats Riddle like a god but not like the way the rest of the school does, and a few nights ago I saw someone walking into the forbidden forest in the _middle of the night_ –which easily could have been him- and ever since he gave Hermione that note, she's been acting weird and-"

Draco put a hand over my mouth to finally stop me. His eyes were wide and his lips pursed like he had been sucking on a lemon. "Harry, what's your point?"

"I think he is a vampire," I stated simply.

Draco's eyes were cold with distaste, "Harry, I don't know why I bother with you sometimes. Blaise couldn't go here if he was a vampire, someone would have noticed by now. He doesn't _know_ Granger; they're partners for that potion, so he probably gave her a list of ingredients or something." Draco looked me straight in the eyes and continued, "What he saw in that potion is his business. He... you shouldn't judge him just because he saw something he didn't expect. Oh, and the person going into the woods was obviously just Filch! He meets the groundskeeper, Hagrid, there occasionally to gather potion supplies for the teachers."

I glared at him, suddenly angry that he wasn't taking me as seriously as I would have liked him, too. We were practically _dating_, he should have been... different than this, "How do you explain the voice that I heard when I was listening to Riddle and Zabini talking then?"

The blond paused and gave me a strange look, "Harry... Blaise couldn't have done that, I'd know if he could talk to people through his mind." He no longer looked angry anymore... if I didn't know better then I'd assume he was frightened... it's good I know better though, eh?

I frowned at the floor, "Wait... but Ron couldn't have done it and I would have recognised Riddle's presence if it was him."

Draco held onto my upper arm and frowned, "What did they say to you, Harry?"

I simply shrugged and looked away, "they only told me that I was in danger."

"In danger... of what?"

I could only shrug.

I really didn't have answers for anything anymore.

!4!

When I had gotten back to the common room, Hermione was sitting by the fire.

She looked bloody horrible, like she hadn't sleep in years. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were crumpled. There were horrible bluish purple bags under her eyes and there was a bit of dirt on her cheeks. She was engrossed in the fire and its light was reflecting off of her eyes, making it look as though she was crying. The bushy haired girl didn't even notice when I had walked in.

"Hermione?" tentatively, I walked over and sat on the couch close to her.

She tiredly looked up and me, "Hello Harry." She turned her attention back to the fire and began to hum to herself quietly, though I couldn't hear the tune.

"How are you doing?" I asked frowning.

She just shrugged in reply, not bothering to grace m question with a response.

I nodded and understood that she didn't feel like talking. I just sat there looking into the fire, took which was actually very nice. It was so warm and it helped clear my head of thought; my position was more comfortable than it should have been because I didn't realise when I had drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

!5!

"It was you, wasn't it?"

I was dreaming again.

The room was dimly lit, though with what I couldn't tell. I don't think that there was time here, so it wasn't night or day or twilight. I wasn't sure I knew where 'here' was, I had tried to ask the man standing by the fire place but his answers were always so cryptic. He would simply stare at me and touch his chest, above his heart, without answering.

He was standing before the fireplace again.

There was no fire, though somehow I could see the reflection in his eyes. I wished that I could remember what color they were, though trying to remember was like trying to keep water from slipping from my bare hands. I bet they were beautiful though, because I knew he was beautiful. I wasn't sure how I knew, but it was just a fact for me, like the sky was blue.

He turned around at the sound of my voice, his eyes lighting up, "Yes it was. I felt the danger you had put yourself in. I am relieved beyond words that you had managed to get away; I have not been able to think of anything else." His voice reminded me of warm honey dripping through my ears.

I frowned, "how did you know that I was in trouble? Even though I was not." I wanted to move from my spot in the doorway, though I knew the dream would end if I did.

He smiled softly, "I always sense what is happening to you. You are the other half of my soul, it would be impossible not to sense your position." He paused and sounded wistful, "You could feel me if you would try."

I didn't say anything to that. What could you say to someone that had claimed to be the other half of your soul? I just looked away and examined the rest of the room. I could have easily left by now, though I didn't really want to. I wasn't sure why but I always felt reluctance to leave this place, it felt so familiar somehow. It was as though I had seen this place before, in another world, another life, if that makes sense.

"What is your name?" I asked softly, knowing that he would not answer. I always wished that he would tell me, though he always answered the same:

"I'll tell you when you tell me."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair in frustration, the man infuriated me sometimes. He was the one who pulled me here; I think I at least deserved to know his name, if nothing else. "You bother me."

The man laughed, I knew it was a wonderful sound though I could never quite remember what it sounded like after, like everything else about the man. "Do I?"

"Very much," I sighed. "Why do you want me to tell you my name?"

He grinned at me, looking me straight in the eyes. His gaze was so intense, so fiery that I had to look away. We both knew the answer to that question, he had told me before; if I told him my name, then he would come and find me. I would never tell him my name, I would never trust him. Every time I met the man, though, the urge to just allow him to find me grows stronger and I wished I just knew what he wanted with me.

Sometimes... I think that I already do though.

I would go to the library tomorrow, and find a book on vampires,

... and their mates.

**End of chapter three :)**

**I hope this chapter made up for the last! Especially in length! I was surprised that I managed to get it done so quickly. I was hoping to impress you guys, considering the last chapter was so shitty! **

**Oh yeah, I have two questions to ask you guys:**

**1. I'm looking for an ****experienced**** beta. I've never had a beta before so I don't know how to send them the chapters. If anyone wants to, then Pm me please :)**

**2. I have a poll up on my profile, please vote because it will affect the nature of this story. **


	4. Our Place in the Night

Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"

Warning, it will be very different from the other version

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.

Summary: !AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

Pairings: Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_ this one ;) ), Severus...(this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.

Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV.

The Garden of Eden

By Lizzie's Last Night

"_The day shall come_

_when you learn the truth,_

_and the truth shall make you_

_free."_

Chapter four- Our place in the night

"The classes are cancelled for today; all students will remain in their common room unless otherwise informed."

McGonagall looked cranky today. She probably didn't get her beauty sleep, if she ever does. Judging by the dark bags under her eyes, she was probably tired. I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't sleep though; I didn't think she had anything to do during the night. Well... there were rumours that she was dating the headmaster... Fuck gross! Did I really just think about a professor having sex? I must be having an off day.

Well, I was pretty tired considering that I was woken up an hour earlier than usual and shoved in the common room with the rest of the tired, angry Gryffindor house. Everyone was still in their pyjamas while grumbling angrily at the awakening. I was squished on the couch between Neville and Ron, both of whom had horrible morning breath. The worst thing ever was morning breath; it was the grossest smell ever.

Humans are disgusting sometimes.

"Why is there no classes Professor?" Dean Thomas asked the tired woman curiously.

McGonagall sighed and sat down in a large, over stuffed read armchair by the empty fireplace. "The ministry of magic was greatly disturbed by the vampire attack in Hogsmeade. They have sent a team of train professionals to... test the students for certain qualities." Her voice had softened into a whisper by the end of her explanation and her head went down. Her hands were clenched in her lap, though her face was expressionless.

Oh my God. In more words, McGonagall was saying that the ministry was sending people into Hogwarts to check the student body for vampire Mates. Sirius had told me about this happening, but it hadn't happened during the five years I've been at Hogwarts. I wasn't sure if I should be happy about this or not, though I couldn't help but feel frightened and I wasn't sure why.

A sudden thought hit me like a ton of bricks.

Draco.

Oh my god.

If they were about to tell who was a vampire's mate... then why wouldn't they be able to tell who was actually half of a vampire? Panic began to seep into me as I realised how dangerous this actually was. They couldn't hurt Draco! I wouldn't let anyone ever touch him.

"What if they find someone with these...qualities?" I asked, breaking through the whispers that had erupted once McGonagall ended her statement. I knew my tone was harsh and probably not appropriate to use to a teacher, though I was actually angry.

It didn't sound like she was planning on telling the students the truth about what was going on, which was unfair and completely unlike the head of the Gryffindor house, though it was probably the minister's idea.

The professor sighed as she looked at me with knowing eyes, "That will have to be answered by them, once they get here. I am not sure how they will check everyone because they have changed their methods since I was your age," she paused and examined us with a gleam in her eye. "Remember to do what they say; it will save you a lot of trouble. Any questions?"

About twenty hands shot into the air, including mine.

McGonagall shook her head and sighed tiredly, "Yes Finnegan?"

Seamus, who was standing by the window, took a step forward, "What qualities are they looking for?" Sometimes it surprised me on how little people knew about the ministry. I was probably the only one (other than McGonagall) who knew they were looking for vampire mates. At that moment, I was extremely glad that Sirius had explained all of this to me.

Looking at the ground, the older woman shook her head, "I am not sure of the specifics, Seamus. That is a question that should be posed at them."

I wondered why McGonagall wouldn't tell us what was going on. They couldn't withhold this kind of information from the students, that was wrong and people's parents were sure to be furious at this. It didn't make sense that McGonagall wouldn't tell us anyway, she wasn't the type to listen to orders that she didn't agree with.

"Harry, do you understand what's going on?" Ron sounded slightly frightened as he bit his lip. He squirmed beside me in an uncomfortable way. His light blue eyes were wide.

I nodded, "I'll explain it all to you later."

I received a nod in agreement.

"What department is this team coming from?" A lanky third year boy asked.

"I am not sure of the answer to that either, Mr Leavitt." The professor shrugged, answering honestly. Little information was disclosed to people about this specific team, their name wasn't even known. All that Harry knew was only because of Sirius, and he remembered that he really would have to thank him one day.

Most of the students seemed genuinely interested by this, and only a few seemed the slightest bit apprehensive as they should be. I was scared, though only for Draco with him being a vampire. I wasn't to upset about it though; Lucius Malfoy was one of the most influential in the wizarding world and would have been a fool to not think of this happening.

I had no respect for the oldest Malfoy, but I would admit that he was no fool.

"Are there any more questions?" McGonagall asked, raising an eyebrow as if daring anyone to stop her from going back to bed.

No one raised their hand.

With a curt nod, the tired woman wrapped her robes tightly around her and swept out of the room without another word, seemingly glad to be gone. I wondered how we were all going to eat if we weren't allowed to leave our dorm, but I just shrugged it off, knowing that they'd probably call us down later.

Most of the kids grumbled and went back up to their dorms for bed, Hermione being the one who darted up first. I noticed that Ron's eyes stayed on her the whole time. I decided to stay down in the common room, so I had something to distract me from worrying about the blond ferret. I knew if I'd gone back to bed then I would have had nightmares about Draco's head being severed or something; I wasn't sure how they killed vampires. I assumed it was severing their head because their hearts don't beat so stabbing them there wouldn't be that great of an idea.

"So, mate," Ron said as we sat alone on the couch before the empty fire pit. His spirits didn't seem down at all, he was probably happy that we have the day off of class work. "Can you believe how crazy the other day was?"

Assuming that he was thinking about the day we ran into Riddle, I nodded, "What did you and Blaise Zabini talk about anyway? I heard that you guys had fought." I was genuinely curious and hadn't had the chance to ask the redhead about it yet.

Anger flashed in his light blue eyes before he looked down and sighed, "I don't know... at first we apologised to each other and talked about Quidditch and for a little while I began to think that he wasn't actually a bad guy..."

"Then?" It didn't seem as though he was going to finish so I raised an eyebrow.

Ron sighed and his face twisted into a freckle-covered scowl, "Then he turned into a huge asshole. He asked me if I was dating Hermione and I said no though I was still trying to get her back." He paused and narrowed his eyes, "He suddenly changed and told me that I had to stay away from her, that we would be terrible together; he said I was blood-traitor trash and not good enough for her and she knows it."

My eyes went wide in shock and I tilted my head. "You're kidding?" I had never assumed that something was wrong with the dark skinned Slytherin; I thought he was above the others and had some compassion towards other people.

Ron shook his head, "I don't know what I ever did to the guy."

"Do you think he fancies Hermione then?" I asked curiously, "He might be the reason why she has been acting like this lately."

"Do you think?"

"Maybe." That was the most definite answer I could give him.

The thought seemed to really anger the red haired boy before me; his eyes turned cold and hard rage seeped into his face. His pale cheeks turned bright red, as did his ears. I couldn't really blame the guy: if, in some parallel universe, our places were switched, I'd feel the same way about it. Even if Zabini really did fancy Hermione, he shouldn't have said what he did. That was wrong on all accounts.

"I don't know what to do, Harry." Ron sighed softly, the anger leaking out of his face as he did so.

I patted him on the back, trying my best to comfort him. To be honest, I didn't know what to say to him.

After a few minutes in awkward silence, Ron sighed, "So did you ever find out who sent you that letter?" He seemed to be trying to not think about his predicament with the bushy-haired girl, which was pretty great for me because I'm shit when it comes to relationships. I had never been in one and to be frank, didn't think that I could deal with being in one.

I was never going to get married, I didn't really believe in it. I heard that only one out of three marriages actually last and divorce doesn't sound appealing. I didn't think that you needed to bind yourself to someone in order to show you love each other, that simply being with each other would mean just as much.

"Harry?" Ron pulled me out of my train of thoughts with a frown.

"No, no I haven't," I replied shaking my head. To be honest, I haven't really bothered with trying to find out who it was. It's not like it was a threatening letter for anything so it didn't matter. "Honestly I don't really know where to look," I was being honest; I really _didn't_ know where to look. It's not like I could research it in the library or anything.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, I agree, I wouldn't have the faintest idea where to look either. Have you asked Sirius?"

_No._

"Yeah, but he didn't know either." Yes, I was lying but I wanted to try and seem as though I wasn't just lazy, which I wasn't. I have a good reason for not telling him: Sirius would just panic or get angry or a weird mixture of both. Sirius didn't seem to feel human emotions, just strange mixtures of each of the regular ones.

"I wonder what the letter was talking about," Ron frowned.

I just shrugged, "Probably just a joke or something. Hogwarts is the safest place in the wizarding world."

Famous last words.

Years from now, looking back on what I thought at this time, when I actually believed the words I had just said, I finally realize just how stupid I had been.

It wasn't entirely my own fault though; we were all stupid back then.

I don't think any one of us really understood what was coming.

**2**

It had been four hours since they told us that we were going to be checked, and no one had come yet.

The entire house was grumbling angrily at having to wait so long. We were all bored and just wanted to go and eat. I felt like my stomach was trying to eat its way out of me so it could dash to the kitchens. I was pretty pissed off - the only food I had was a box of five-month old chocolates in my chest, laced with a love potion.

They were from a random girl in Ravenclaw, someone who actually thought I was stupid enough to not notice that they were spiked. She had actually walked up to me, said she bought them just for me, and ordered me to stand and eat them in front of her. When I opened them, they smelt like fresh cut grass and rain - my favourite smells in the world- so I knew they were spiked. Love potions always had the aroma of the person's favourite thing in smell in the world.

"When are we going to be able to go and eat?" Ron grumbled angrily from his spot beside me.

I sighed and shook my head, "I don't know, mate. I think I'm going to go up to bed though, and maybe take a nap or something." I stood up.

Ron just nodded, looking pretty pissed off.

I trudged upstairs, glad to be away from all of the ill-tempered students.

**3**

I knew I was sleeping.

I wasn't sure why I was having this specific dream, but at least it was interesting to watch.

I was seven or eight at the time - I'm not quite sure. I've always seemed younger than I truly was until I turned twelve and began to look my age. I was always a pretty small kid - I think Sirius let me live off of chocolate frogs and pumpkin juice, before letting me outside to run around and burn it all off. Maybe that was why I never really got big.

Anyways, I was at the Burrow.

It was a warm summer day; the fields surrounding the area were full of life and inviting. The Garden gnomes were running around, playing merrily and enjoying the sun like everyone else. The birds called to each other from the few trees above. In the distance you could hear the river running downstream.

I remember this day.

It was hard to forget.

In my dreams, I usually watch what's happening, but from overhead. In this dream, however, I stood there watching. Sirius, Remus, Bill, and I were visiting the Weasleys so that Bill, Remus and Molly could take the elder kids to Diagon Ally and get supplies for Hogwarts. The only people still at the Burrow were Sirius, Ron, Ginny, Mr. Weasley and Charlie.

That was the day that I realised I wasn't normal. I've never understood what happened that day and to be honest, I've tried to forget. It's not that it was a huge problem. It was just _strange_.

I left the house when everyone was just sitting around doing nothing. Ginny never really left her room that much, especially when I was there for some reason. Ron was still asleep, not bothering to get up before noon, and the three adults were just lounging in the garden drinking tree and talking about the ministry.

There wasn't much for a kid to do but explore.

My eight year old self had told Sirius that he was going for a walk, and then quickly scampered off after being told to not get lost. I watched my younger self run away until he was out of sight before deciding to follow, thought I didn't want to see what I knew would happen. This day always brought dark memories, ones that should be forgotten.

My younger self was so excited to be out and doing something that he was bounding through the fields, doing summersaults as he went. He giggled merrily every time that he fell and sometimes just laid there watching the clouds pass by. In my biased opinion, I was a pretty cute kid all in all. I always seemed to have a smile on my face.

I sat down on a grassy slope and watched my younger self summersault and roll down hills, wondering where I'd ever found the energy to do all of that. It was strange; I could actually feel the grass under my touch, even though this was a dream. I could smell the fresh scent of grass in the air, which wasn't possible.

A terrible, squawking sounds cut through the peacefulness of the day. My younger self, who had until then been calmly watching the clouds, sat up straight and looked up. A large black bird fell out of the sky, landing in the grass. My younger self quickly jumped to my feet and ran off in the direction of the injured animal.

It was this moment coming, which would change my perspective of myself forever. I would have given anything to not have chased after the bird, to have just stayed at the burrow and woken Ron up, or forced Sirius to play with me. I was only a kid though, a kid who thought he was chasing after an injured bird.

I followed my younger self grudgingly, not wanting to see what I knew I was going to.

My younger self ran over a grassy hill, and I ran after him. A small river came into view, only about twenty feet in diameter but running rather quickly due to last night's rainfall. The jet-black raven was lying beside the river.

My younger self stopped for a moment before quickly running toward it. I shut my eyes so that I wouldn't have to see what was going to happen though I had to open them when I heard my younger self's surprised shriek.

Harry was halfway toward s the hurt animal before suddenly it vanished. After looking, my younger self finally found the bird; it was on the other side of the river. I knew for a fact, even back then, that the bird hadn't moved. I had kept my eyes on it the entire time.

My younger self was going to turn around and walk away until the bird shrieked in pain again, and it was visibly twitching. Harry stopped. Just then, I could remember feeling what had been a crazy desire to help the creature. I couldn't explain it, even to myself, but the shriek had affected me more than I would have thought possible. I knew that I couldn't just walk away from it. I had to find a way across that river. And so I did.

What I did next was a crazy compulsion, a feeling that had just come and I had no control over.

I jumped.

The river was twenty feet across but at that moment I felt invincible, like superman.

You know what? In that moment, I think I was superman.

I had made it.

And I couldn't tell you how I did.

I knew it hadn't been uncontrolled magic, that had happened to me before and I remembered the pull I felt at my magical core. No, this wasn't magic. I didn't know what happened that day but it wasn't normal.

It wasn't _natural_.

I landed on the other side easily and quickly kneeled beside the poor creature. It had completely stopped making noise or twitching, instead it was staring up at me, just staring. Its eyes had haunted me forever - bright blue, sapphire blue. They had such depth in them, such intelligence; I couldn't believe they belonged to an animal.

Now, I realised, they didn't.

The bird's wing was bent awkwardly, the bone sticking out the slightest bit. I remember how horrified I had felt when I had seen it, I had felt so bad for the little bird and was desperate for any way to help it.

"I'm sorry," My younger self muttered soothingly before I did something I'd never forget. I leant down and spat softly on the bird's injury. I couldn't quite explain my compulsion to do it; it had just seemed like the natural thing to do in the situation. All I knew was that I had to save the poor thing.

The most insane, craziest, thing that had ever happened to me occurred just then.

The bird's wing healed itself.

The moment my saliva touched it, the wound completely sealed and the bird's wing was unbent and perfect.

The raven stared at me, though this time with such intensity that it reminded me of the sun's rays. It quickly got to its feet and flew away. My younger self watched it for a few moments before looking back to the river, and it finally hit me how far I had jumped.

I watched my younger self from a few yards away, frowning softly. Then, out of curiosity, I turned to watch the crow fly away.

The crow was gone, in its place was a dark, nightmarish shadowy figure walking into the distance.

Oh my god, I had never looked back when I was younger, and now I'm glad that I hadn't. The figure that was now departing was something from nightmares, and I could hardly tell what it looked like at all.

"You were a special child." I knew the voice that appeared beside me.

I turned my head to see the man from my dreams standing there. I still couldn't tell what he looked like, though I didn't need to, I could recognize the voice. He was watching my child self, I wished I could tell what he was thinking.

"You can follow me into my dreams now?" I sighed in annoyance, turning to face him.

He nodded, chuckling softly, "When I choose to. I usually do but I wanted to know what you felt from this dream, considering that I was in it."

My heart skipped a beat and I frowned, "You were the raven weren't you?"

The man nodded a soft smile on his foggy lips, "I'm glad you caught on."

"What happened?" I demanded, "Why were you there."

The man shrugged, "I was not far away and I felt... something. I felt like I should know more about you, so I faked a fall, to see if you'd chase me." He seemed rather amused.

I paused for a moment, taking it all in. "Why do you always ask who I am and what I look like? You have seen me before, so you must be able to find out who I am."

The man's voice turned bitter and angry, his face twisted into a scowl, "If only it were so easy. No, I learned about you that day and that was both a blessing and a curse. I had finally found you, and you were more perfect than I can ever imagine, though you were too young and I was not meant to know you yet. The memory of what you look like was taken away, as was the location I found you in." His voice was filled with longing as he sighed, "I can see what you look like, and then the memory is tugged away before I can even process it. It's infuriating."

I didn't speak for a moment; I had to process it all. The way that he was speaking about forgetting what I look like... I felt the same about him. The entire thing scared me to death and left me clueless. I had no idea what to do, because I knew there was no getting rid of him.

An idea had been tugging at the back of my mind for ages now, and I had always been too afraid to admit it to myself. I had been putting it off for too long now and realized I had to confront it.

"Are you a vampire?" I blurted out, getting it out before I could stop myself.

The man turned to look at me before softly replying, "Yes."

My heart suddenly went into my stomach. If he was a vampire... then that means that I'm...

"You know what you are," the man stated simply, "what you mean to me... and what I mean to you."

I turned away and shook my head. This was absolute insanity. I was going inside and this was a fragment of my imagination. I had actually gone crazy, that day never happened, and this man didn't exist.

"You're not real," I stated calmly, trying to hide the fact that internally I was going mad.

The man sighed and took a few steps forward so I could feel his icy breath on my neck, "If I'm not real, tell me your name."

I jumped back and shook my head. "Why won't you just fuck off?"

The man sighed and backed off, turning his head to watch the river. "You can't escape this. I felt you, the day you were born. July 4th, that's less than a year away. That day, I will feel you and I will come for you. Why don't you just save yourself time and give yourself to me now?"

"I'll fight you until the end of time," I replied indignantly.

That seemed to amuse him, he smirked and lent in to breathe on my face and whisper in my ear, "One day, you won't want to fight."

That angered me more than I could imagine and I was about to reply before I felt myself getting shaken and pulled away. "Harry! Harry!"

I felt myself being tugged out of sleep and shaken. I opened my eyes to see a certain ginger shaking me awake, panic clear in his eyes.

"Ron?" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Harry!" Ron seemed to be going crazy.

I frowned, "What is it?"

"It's Hermione. They took her."

The end of chapter four!

Sorry that one took a while but I just lost inspiration until I started trying to write it and didn't stop until I finished this chapter. I hope it's satisfactory. I thought you guys would like to see more of Harry's past.

Oh and this is the first chapter that's actually beta'd!

My Beta is .Placeholder, who is awesome. She also is writing this amazing Inheritance Cycle/Harry Potter crossover (New World, New Hopes) that you guys should really check out.

Until the next chapter,

Lizzie's Last Night (my new Pen name :)


	5. Who will we fight for?

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.**

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_this one ;) ), Severus... (this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.**

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV.**

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**This chapter was one of my better ones, even if it took me a while to write it. I am excited to see if you guys like reading it almost as much as I like writing it, so it would be awesome if I could get some reviews.**

**Word in this chapter: **7 128

**Pages:**15

"Courage is resistance of fear,

mastery of fear,

not the absence of fear."

**Chapter five- **Who will we fight for?

**General POV**

"Lucius, I want another two agents set up in the department of magical transportation. "

The room was cold.

The darkness was penetrated only by a river of silver moonlight that shone through the open roof. A table was set up in the center, its shape was that of a semicircle. It was capable of seating nine people; six around the circular part and one at the end. The table was rather large, its top covered with a map of Britain and the surrounding regions. Certain parts of the map were dark and not nearly recognisable though other parts were light and clearly marked. The darkness seemed to converge on a certain part of the map, seemingly spreading from the center of Scotland.

There were six figures sitting silently at the table, and the ninth was pacing around the room. Everyone was sitting perfectly still, making no quick movements and most seemingly uncomfortable.

Well, in their defence, they were currently in the darkest place in the world; the one place in the world where the sun does not shine, where the world is cold and harsh. The castle of _L'Esistenza Perpetua_ was the convergence of darkness, the home of the monsters that live in the shadows. This castle was the home for the dead and the lifeless.

"Yes, milord," the blond man's voice was soft and submissive. "Do you have any certain requests on who that you would like?"

The pacing shadow stopped and sighed, "Karkaroff!"

A man who sat beside Lucius sat up straighter and replied, "Yes, Milord?"

The shadow sighed and seemed to across the room, "I want you to send Jugson and Trihorn; they have relatives inside the ministry, do they not?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I also would like someone to kill the idiot that was captured in the small village by Hogwarts..."A small smirk tightened on his lips, "and a member of her blood family should do it, as a message for others who believe they can be as senseless."

The blond man rose to his feet and bowed low, nodding, he replied "Of course, sir. I already know her father would do it for you, sir."

The dark man did not say anything, only strolled over to one of the windows, staring out at the clear night sky. He looked like he belonged in the light of the moon just as much as in the shadows of the night; in either one he looked like Hades, who crawled straight out of hell. Only one person in the room had ever actually seen the face of their leader, and few actually wanted to.

There were rumors that the man's face was so horrifying that it stopped the heart of those who had seen it, and there were others that said the man was so inhumanly beautiful that a mortal would be lost in the sight. Then there were conjectures that there was simply no face at all, although those were only told by fools with overactive imaginations.

Whatever the man looked like, no one would ever see anyway.

The six who sat around the table were representatives from the three groups of vampires (1). There was the main patron and then their second-in-command. They all sat with their hoods up, too; all except for the blond man who happened to be the leader of the _Bellezza_clan. Most vampires hid themselves amongst other vampires, to keep their power level hidden; the more beautiful the vampire, the stronger they are, and though members of the beauty clan were naturally more beautiful, the rules still applied.

"Karkaroff," The lord turned to face the table once more, "How is _Forza_in terms of keeping the hunters focused in the north?" His voice was soft and inquisitive, though that meant nothing. His voice was always laced an underlying threat; what went unspoken was this: if you were not doing your job then you would die. For anyone this close to the lord though, that was a given.

The man sitting closest to the back shuddered and cleared his throat, "My lord, we have been doing the best we can. We have attracted many hunters from Britain and a good deal from the ministry." He was sitting still as stone and was struggling to hold his head high, which was understandable considering the pressure of the darkness within the room.

The dark man sauntered back over the table, his hands clasped behind his back and his robes billowing softly behind him. He could have easily been a shadow standing before the table, one who could kill the other six vampires with ease, which was frightening considering the vampires before him were the most powerful of the time.

"I was wondering about the attack in Hogsmeade. Why was I wondering about it, Igor?" The dark man said softly, his eyes piercing the vampire from under his cloak.

The other man seemed to completely stop in terror at being asked such a question. He looked to the leader of the speed clan, who offered him no help, and then to the blond leader, who was silent as well. He took a large, unnecessary breath and responded, "My lord, I am not s-sure why."

The lord seemed to regard him for a moment, "Karkaroff, I was wondering why a competent, sensible vampire would ever jeopardize his Lord's position by allowing such an idiotic incident to transpire. Would you wonder that as well, Peverell?" He turned too looked at the leader of the _Velocità_clan. His voice was as cold as ice and deadly calm.

Karkaroff turned to look desperately at the man beside him; he began breathing raggedly in fear. The other man sighed softly as he replied, "You accept nothing less than perfection, my lord. You would have to wonder when your expectations are not met."

"Worded wisely, Peverell," the dark man approved in amusement, amused to watch Karkaroff's horror grow. He turned the blond, "Would you agree, Malfoy?"

The blond vampire cast an emotionless look at the other vampire and nodded, "I agree completely, my lord."

The dark man's amusement grew as Igor looked like his lord had pulled out a butcher knife. Igor was close, but the dark man had a better idea. He grinned to himself, "You have failed me Igor. The ministry is at Hogwarts because of the incident and they are guarding the area. Malfoy's own son was at risk, as were many of your clan members' children. This is unforgettable…and unforgiveable."

Karkaroff rose to his feet in horror and shook his head, "No, my lord! I will do better with another chance, nothing will happen again. I beg you for another chance."

The dark man regarded the Forza leader's begging with contempt and turned to his second in command, "Regulus Black, you have stood in the shadows of this man for many years. I will give you a chance to step out from that shadow," he paused and the addressed man stood up straighter. "Kill Karkaroff, you will have the chance to take his place and show me and your clan how to meet my expectations."

Karkaroff jumped back and gasped in horror. His hood fell back to reveal the terrified man who was staring at his ex second in command with a mixture of betrayal and panic. It was too late for him however, for his fate was decided as Black swept to his feet and took a step toward him.

Only one still heart had felt any pity for the vampire, who had barely tried to run as his throat was caught in a tight grip. Perverell's blue eyes shimmered in what could have been taken as delight, though that emotion didn't enter his heart once. He wondered, as he had hundreds of times, why he had chosen to lead this life and what he could have been had he not left everyone he had ever cared about.

Perverell's throat caught at the thought of who he left behind, and he almost wished that he could go back. He would never be accepted not after what happened to _her_.

The lord watched the gruesome death with mild interest. His mind remained at Hogwarts; he knew that there was vampiric power in a few of the students that he knew were not half vampires. He could never detect the exact person but he could still feel it. Voldemort knew that he wasn't feeling his mate; the lord had placed a lock that would hide his mate's power so no one would sense it, even if he got tested.

That was the main reason he stayed at Hogwarts, to keep the charm over his mate with proximity. Even if he left for a couple of days, the charm would still stay strong. The bloody hunters wouldn't sense his mate, he was confident in that. Sadly, he couldn't sense his Mate's power because of this charm. He was extremely eager to get his Mate, and to lock him away in a safe place, but Voldemort knew that he would have to wait.

Perhaps waiting was a good thing, he thought. It helped his mate warm up to the idea of being with a vampire. He had looked into finding out the student's birthdays, but he couldn't find the documents because of Dumbledore. Dumbledore knew about his being a vampire, but the fool had no choice but let him work in the school; He had Fudge and the wizarding world under his thumb.

Voldemort hoped that his mate had studied about vampires and at least knew the basics.

He didn't care too much, though.

He just wanted his mate with him.

Suddenly he felt a stinging pain go through the slight, uncompleted bond he had with his mate. The pain was akin to putting your hand in fire and Voldemort knew exactly what it meant. His mate was in danger, grave danger. He shut his eyes and focused on the bond, trying to figure out what was going on.

His Mate was getting himself into danger, but this time it was serious, judging by how painful the jolt was. Fear exploded into Voldemort's chest and he did all that he could do at the time, he took as much energy as he could muster and threw it into the bond. With all of the energy hitting his mate, the boy would pass out, keeping him from doing whatever idiotic thing he was planning.

Voldemort wished he could just do this at Hogwarts, to find his mate that way, but it would weaken him so much that he wouldn't be able to keep up his disguise.

He knew he had to go to Hogwarts, to eliminate whatever threat there was to his Mate. He would have to go by broom; he was too weak to fly. Thankfully, going by broom would give him the time to build up his energy enough to disguise himself while at the school.

Without a word to the others in the room, he walked over to the window and jumped, conjuring a broom as he went.

!1!

**Harry's POV**

As I ran down the staircase towards the common room, all I could hear was blood pounding through my ears. Light was dwindling in through the window and it looked like late afternoon, probably around five.

There was no way that they could have taken Hermione... no way in hell. She was the perfect one, the one that kept Ron and me out of trouble, the one who saved both of our lives time and time again and she was the one that we could turn to when we couldn't stand each other. She was the foundation of our friendship and we would crumble without her. Either way, this was obviously just a misunderstanding; if they had taken Herm then that would mean...

...well, it would mean that Herm's future didn't look so good.

This whole mess had to have been a mistake though; there was no way in hell that Herm was... bonded to a monster. Vampire mates have a slight sliver of vampiric power in them, and there was nothing even slightly vampire about her. Ron or I would have been able to tell if she was even the slightest bit evil and there was nothing evil about Hermione Granger.

I ran down into the Common room, only to find about half of the house there, with none of the ministry workers.

I stopped and felt Ron slam into my back. I didn't notice the force he slammed into me with but just turned around and frowned angrily, "did they leave the castle?"

The panting redhead shook his head, frantically he replied, "They took the students to the Great Hall to test us, I didn't see them leave. They just took Hermione into one of the back rooms, off of the Great Hall. They sent us back here once we were tested."(2)

I nodded and bolted out of the Common room, earning weird looks from those who didn't know what had happened to Hermione. The run down to the Great Hall was the worst experience of my life. My nerves were shot and my heart couldn't have beaten any faster, I never noticed but about two minutes after we started running, Ron had completely fallen behind. I didn't notice much though, the school as flying by my eyes in a blur. All that I could think was that I needed to help Hermione, in any way that I could have.

To be honest, I had no clue just what I'd do once I got down there but I wasn't too worried about it.

There was no way in hell that I'd let them take her.

The Great Hall looked completely different.

The huge room was completely dark, with a few torches along the walls. The table where the teachers sat was gone. The room was divided into three parts, with silver walls that were conjured to divide the different parts. The divisions were all long columns, with silver orbs at the end of them. Kids were lined up to enter the columns one at a time, though I couldn't see what was going on inside due to long curtains that hung in front of the entrances to the three.

There was an open hallway between the first and second columns that lead up to the end of the great hall, toward the space where the head table usually sat. At the end of the hall, I could see four people arguing. Snape's face was a deep red as he glared at a tall blond man in vehemence while McGonagall had her bony hand on his shoulder. Beside the blond man stood Sirius, and he had a hard expression on his face. The blond man was wearing a vest with a strange logo over the heart, though Sirius was just wearing blue robes.

"Hey kid, you got to get in one of the lines," A burly man wearing the same vest as the blond man stalked over to me. I turned around quickly to regard him for a moment, though I didn't bother to stop for him.

Not bothering to make sure that Ron was following, I bolted toward the small group at the head of the chamber.

Sirius saw me first, and though I expected a large grin and a hug, he remained stoic and grim-faced. His black eyes were flashing in warning, something he did whenever he thought I was being stupid. I didn't think about it much though; I just kept sprinting as fast as my legs would take me.

"Where's Hermione?" I demanded when I finally got up.

Snape was looking at me in his usual disapproving way, though it was suffused in anger. McGonagall pursed her lips and parted her lips to reply but the blond man beat her to it.

"You must be young Harry!" The blonds' voice was irritatingly joyful, as though we were meeting perchance at a wedding. "Pierre Bonaccord is my name and I've heard much about you, Harry! Best seeker Hogwarts has ever seen and a good kid to boot! "

I wasn't in the mood to put up with that bullshit. I glared at him and repeated myself in a low, steady voice. "Where is Hermione Granger?"

That seemed to bother Bonaccord, and his smile faded slightly, but he quickly perked up. "Oh, the lovely young woman who was here just a while ago?"

"Harry," Sirius frowned, "we're handling it. Go back to Gryffindor." I was shocked by the tone in his voice. Sirius was always so happy and determined. This shouldn't be bothering him; this shouldn't have even been a problem. Looking at him though, his black eyes were clouded with fear. For the first time in my life, I wasn't sure if he could fix this.

I disregarded the man and tried my best to stare the blond man down (he remained unfazed by my anger) and growled, "You fucking know who Hermione Granger is. Don't try and play stupid."

"Mr. Potter!" Snape growled at me, "Stop being a child and leave. You're rude and have no right to demand answers from anyone."

My anger flared even more, how dare he? Hermione was in danger and I had to help her and Snape didn't seem to give a shit. If anyone had the right to demand answers it was Ron and I, especially when Hermione was getting fucking kidnapped. I turned on Snape and was about to argue with him before a thought hit me, where was Ron?

I turned around to find the man who stopped as when we got into the room lumbering up towards us, Ron at his heels look anxious.

"Oh dear god," Snape growled, "First Potter, and now Weasley."

"Sorry boss," The burly man finally arrived, his homely face scrunched in anger, "The fast little shit got away from me." He was huffing and sweat was piling on his forehead, it was rather disgusting all in all. You could almost smell the sweat coming off the man in waves; I stopped breathing through my nose to block it out.

Bonaccord turned his bright eyes on me curiously, his brow was raised and he took a step forward, away from the others. Ignoring his employee, he smiled brightly, "You are a fast one, Harry. I've heard all about your exploits in Quidditch, the youngest player in a century, that's a rather large accomplishment." His voice was bright, though there was an underlying threat in it that I couldn't understand.

Snape took a step forward, in front of me and crossed his arms, "That isn't related to the topic at hand, Bonaccord. I suggest that we go somewhere private to discuss this while the insolent children stay here."

The blond man regarded Snape with an air of due respect and nodded, "I will agree to that, though it is pointless." His eyes flickered to mine and a sly smile grew on his red lips, "I'll be seeing you again, Harry, be sure of that. Have a great day."

I was left confused as the man winked and began to escort the others into another room. I waited for Sirius to say that I could come and that it was going to be okay, but he never even looked back. Something shifted in my chest and I felt something like betrayal. Sirius just left... without me. I moved to try and follow them but I felt something grip my arm and yank me back. I turned to see Ron let go of me with a defeated look in his eyes.

"Let it go, mate, you're not going to win. They're just going to treat us like kids." Ron sighed softly, sadly, "Sirius will help Herm, don't worry."

"It didn't look like they were doing anything Ron!" Anger filled me so suddenly that I was almost surprised. I was angry at everything and before I knew it, I was shoving Ron out of the way so I could storm the room the adults had disappeared into.

Suddenly I felt something it me with the force of a tsunami, like a battering ram at full speed. I felt the air get knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe, I immediately fell to the ground. Darkness was filling my mind and I felt cold, stony hands wrap around my mind comfortingly, pulling me towards the darkness.

I was unconscious less than a second after the impact with air.

!2!

**Hermione's POV**

Hermione Granger had never been lonelier in her life.

The blond man had come in a while ago and told her that she was going to spend the night in this room, and then she would be brought elsewhere tomorrow. She was calm and serene about it. She knew deep down that there was a calming enchantment placed upon her but most of her mind was clouded with a drowsy numbness, which kept her from thinking much, or even feeling any strong emotions. Everything was just... numb.

The room was a bedroom, though it was basic. There was a small bed, a wardrobe, a mirror and a bathroom. There was only a tiny bit of light that drifted in through a single window. The window was high up, almost touching the ceiling so she couldn't see out. That was what made her feel the saddest; she wanted to watch the stars like she had for the past few nights.

Unable to watch the sky, Hermione felt alone. Blaise had said that her soul mate was out there, waiting for the right time to come and claim her. Blaise was related to him, so he was able to tell Hermione all about her soul mate, and she loved to hear about him. She had been obsessed ever since Blaise had approached her the first time and said that her soul mate had discovered her identity. She had not been able to directly contact this man but she managed to feel the connection in her head, it was faint and she could only sense the slight presence of him.

Only the strongest, most unbelievably powerful vampires could actually have a full fledged connection before the two completely bond, and his mate was not that powerful, though she didn't care. In the books that she read, the leaders of the clans could only project dreams n their mates' minds. There were rumors that the king would have the power to actually talk to his mate through the bond, but the books said nothing definite about it because the king does not have a mate yet.

So she just spent her days in a daze, lost in the presence of her soul mate in her mind.

Hermione sighed as she sat on the bed, staring up at the dark roof. She wished that she could tell Ron and Harry about her soul mate, but they wouldn't understand, Blaise said that they would turn her into vampire hunters. She couldn't believe that she couldn't trust her best friends, but Blaise made it clear that it could even put her soul mate in danger if they knew.

So Hermione kept her mouth shut about it and just tried to dream about her soul mate most days. She wondered if she would have to leave Hogwarts, and was pretty sure she would. There was a good chance that she would have to become a vampire, so that would mean that she'd never be able to come back.

The thought of leaving her friends and family scared her to death, but she felt her soul mate's conscious brush up against hers and she knew that everything would always be okay. Maybe she could still see Ron and Harry, but she wasn't sure, she had no clue if they'd accept her at all once she changed. She hoped they would though, she couldn't imagine her life without them.

She squinted and tried to think of her mate but it was too hard. The fog clouding her mind had caused her to lose her train of thought whenever she tried to think of him, and that was what made her the loneliest. Deep down, she knew that she should be afraid and trying to find a way out of the room, but she just couldn't bring herself to feel anything. If someone charged at her with a muggle axe just then, she doubted she would even think that it was danger.

Merlin, she felt stupid.

There was a shadow in the window.

It was very big, like a giant bat, and it was perched, staring at her.(3)

She probably should have sensed that that wasn't right and probably do something about it, but nothing came to mind. She just lay there staring at the black thing that blended into the dark better than even shadows. Hermione bet that if she wasn't a vampire's mate then she wouldn't have been able to see it.

A soft smile grew on Hermione's lips as the figure landed beside her and she recognized it as a man, and not a living man either. It was a vampire. There was no way this man could have been human; he oozed darkness through his very skin and he was far too graceful, too beautiful to be anything else. He had black hair with ghost's skin that shone like the moon.

If Hermione was in her right mind then she probably would have recognized the man as Severus Snape, her potions teacher.

She felt strong arms wrap around her and she was hoisted up into them. She felt like she was lucky, and this was something good but deep down it still felt wrong to her, like she shouldn't be in these arms.

"I'm getting you out of here, Granger," Snape sighed softly and with that Hermione felt as though she was gliding through the air, sailing through the night. Snape jumped up the wall but he must have cast a weightless enchantment on them because they began to glide through the air.

In her drugged state, Hermione thought they were flying.

'_Hmm, maybe he really is a bat_' Hermione thought contentedly as she enjoyed the ride away from Hogwarts.

**!3!**

**Draco's POV**

Draco Malfoy was a daydreamer.

He knew that he didn't seem like one, with the facade he wore in order to live up to the Malfoy name, but he was. When his typical sneer of disgust graced his features, it typically was only to hide his wandering mind. Nothing could keep his attention, especially not humans. He found that most were boring and all the same. They were all sheep that followed the same role through life, and didn't deserve his attention.

That was before he met Harry Potter.

He sighed and stared down at his emerald bed sheets under him, which matched the drapes that were draped around his bed. Draco was not being patriotic towards Slytherin by having green sheets; He had them because they reminded him of Potter's eyes, a deep, emerald green. Like lily pads. His sheets couldn't hold a flame to Harry's eyes, but they were as close as Draco could find.

The eyes were the first thing that Draco noticed about him.

The dark haired boy had simply pissed him off until his fourth year. Potter had always been the golden boy of Gryffindor - so right, so just, so _pure_, and simply boring. Draco had always felt that he could predict the other boy's actions. The pure golden boy always jumped to the rescue of younger students, always helped the younger years in Quidditch, and it always infuriated Draco.

Potter had only been another sheep who danced to the same tune as all the others. He saw only the light of the world and convinced himself that light was right and dark was evil. Draco knew the boy was handsome, but wouldn't waste a thought on him. His father had taught him who was worth his time and who wasn't, and Harry was definitely the latter.

That had all changed one defense class, though.

Riddle had been in a bad mood that day, which was strange because he usually never was. Draco's third year was almost over, it was mid-May, and it had been beautiful outside for the past few weeks. He had been feeling especially horrible towards Potter; The last Quidditch game was coming up soon and it was between the Lions and the Snakes. Draco wasn't feeling confident about it, and that was mainly due to the fucking _golden boy_, who would probably catch the snitch without even trying, while Draco put everything he had into every match.

The golden boy was sitting with his group of lions, the only one who wasn't talking. He had his arms crossed, as usual in that class, and stared at Riddle. His face was unreadable, as usual, but intense. Draco didn't know if Potter knew the way he looked at Riddle, like the teacher was the full moon on a dark night.

The blond boy wondered if Riddle understood the looks that Potter gave him, because Draco definitely didn't. He knew that it was probably just the way that Potter let out his hatred toward the man, considering the arguments that the two got in every class. It baffled Draco, Potter had to challenge the teacher over everything, even when it usually led to him losing a large number of house points and getting a sad amount of detentions.

Draco understood that it wasn't always Potter's fault, he noticed that sometimes Riddle baited him into it. Draco noticed that the blue eyed man would say something deliberately controversial and obviously against Potter's golden views, then he would look straight at Potter as if daring him to say something. There was one thing Draco noticed about the green-eyed seeker: he never overlooked a challenge.

That brought his thoughts back to the day at hand.

Riddle had been in a rotten mood, and he seemed to want to piss Harry off more than ever. He did a lesson on werewolves; It was common knowledge that a family friend was one, so Riddle focused on the lesser points of them.

The class had been pretty much silent as Riddle stated that werewolves were dark and because of that they were monsters. Then he looked the green eyed Gryffindor straight in the eye and asked Harry his opinion on the matter, with a sadistic grin on his face.

That was when Potter became a person on my mind.

The whole class had braced themselves, expecting a battle between the two dark haired guys. However, a fight never came. Harry, with bright eyes, but sat calmly and stated: _Yes, some werewolves could be considered dark, but that doesn't make them monsters or evil._

Harry Potter, the Golden Boy of the Light, didn't believe that being dark made one evil. It was such an... _intelligent _answer, thought Draco, and certainly not a thought that most Gryffindors would have. Potter wasn't who Draco thought he was, shockingly.

Draco wasn't the only surprised one; the Gryffindors had all seemed stunned and upset by the answer.

Riddle had seemed intrigued by this statement and he stalked over to the Gryffindor side of the room. Draco watched curiously as Riddle stood right in front of Harry and put a hand on his desk. He leant n and whispered something to Harry that wasn't meant for other people's ears, though Draco had well enough hearing that he could just listen, "That wasn't a very _Gryffindor _way of thinking, Mr. Potter."

That was probably the first defense class that Harry hadn't lost points or gotten a detention. In fact, Riddle had ignored Harry until the bell, never even glancing his way. However, when the bell rang and everyone left, Riddle's eyes had lingered on Harry his entire way out.

It was after that day that Draco had begun to think more of the Gryffindor - not in a sexual way, but with intrigue. It wasn't until later that the blond Slytherin began caring for the other boy in a deeper way.

**!4!**

**Ron's POV**

Ron Weasley was scared.

After Harry passed out, Ron had ran and gotten help. It had taken only a few minutes for a teacher to come and take his mate to the hospital wing, but Ron wasn't allowed to go with them. The professor had said that Potter was merely under stress and needed to rest for a while. Instead, he'd be called when Harry woke up.

Ron left the Great Hall, knowing that he couldn't do anything there. He had never felt more helpless in his life, and tears gathered in his eyes, though he angrily wiped them away. _Real men don't cry,_ Fred and George had always told him: only girly guys cried, only fags. And Ronald Weasley was no fag.

He couldn't control anything in his life anymore and that scared him more than anything. He didn't know what was going on with Hermione before, or why she broke up with him, and now he couldn't even help her. Ron couldn't help but almost fail all of his classes; no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't do well. He couldn't beat Harry at Quidditch, hell he couldn't even make the team let alone beat Harry. He couldn't make his parents love him or notice him more; He was just another failed attempt at a girl and he wasn't even talented.

Ron growled and kicked the wall of the empty corridor, he just couldn't _be _anyone.

_I get scared too easily_, Ron added in his head. He'd been too scared to go and fight for 'Mione alone. He had to get Harry to do it for him, and then tag along like a vague shadow. Hell, he had even been scared to do his tests. He shouldn't have been, though; There was no way in hell he had the talent to be a vampire mate.

He wasn't strong or fast or handsome…he was just Ron Weasley.

The sad thing was that he didn't even stand out for being bad at school like Neville did. He was relegated to painful mediocrity.

Ron sighed and kicked the courtyard door open; he needed to go for a walk.

He knew that he probably should stay in the school but he was in too bad of a mood for anyone to see him in his current state, so angry and close to crying. He just wanted to sit alone for a while, until he got his life sorted out.

The redhead decided to go down to the lake; he had only ever gone there with friends, never alone. However, right now the gentle waves rippling the water's calm surface made that spot seem really appealing.

It was when he was halfway down to the lake that he heard the scream. It was soft and if Ron wasn't completely silent then it would have just been lost in the wind. The head head's heart stopped and he gazed into the woods. He was about a forty yards from the tree line and all he could see was darkness and mist.

Ron completely stopped in his place and stared into the tree line. Suddenly he didn't feel so angry anymore, he just felt scared and exposed. Someone had screamed in the woods, Ron had no doubts about that.

However the forest was... the forest.

Even in the day, it was terrifying and no matter how many times that Ron told himself that someone could be in trouble, he couldn't move his feet. Tears welled in his eyes again as he angrily hated himself, he was such a coward. Harry was brave, if Harry was here then he'd run in to help whoever was in the forest without a second thought.

Ron wasn't Harry though, and Ron wouldn't go into the forest. If I did, he thought, I wouldn't be able to help someone if they were in trouble and he'd just end up in trouble like the other person. It was probably best if Ron just went to get help, so that someone who actually could manage to help the person in the forest would come.

It was surprisingly easy for Ron to turn his head away from the forest and run back up toward the school.

_Coward_, a voice popped into Ron's mind painfully and he shut his eyes in disgrace.

He stopped once he reached the courtyard, breathing heavily, and put a hand against the stone, feeling safer and less exposed than before, despite a growing desire to get inside of the castle. Anxiety knotted his stomach and made him blanch.

Fear of being followed made Ron cast a worried glance behind him, back at the now-distant forest. His eyes trailed over the tree line and saw nothing until he noticed that the forest was darker in one spot. The darkness was fog that surrounded and twisted around that single, small spot like a black fire.

Against his better judgment, he squinted to try and see what it was, but the distance was hard on his eyes. It took the red-haired boy a moment to focus before he made out the figure of a person, but... it _wasn't_a person. It was a pool of black that stood about two meters inside the dark forest and was so still that Ron lost the image a few times.

The image struck Ron's very core though and intense fear hit him. The thing in the forest was staring at him. He couldn't see its eyes but he could still tell. Suddenly a sharp pain hit Ron, and an all-encompassing thought burst into his mind: _kill you._

The thought did not belong to Ron, nor did he even think of it as a thought. It was soft and by no means human. It could have been the screech of a raptor or the hiss of a snake, although to Ron it sounded like a wraith from a muggle horror movie. The voice hurt him so badly that his heart pretty much stopped when a face appeared amongst the darkness.

The face was pale and looked like a dead corpse, but it was terrifying. (4)

Ron had been unconscious for about two minutes before a broomstick landed beside him.

**!5!**

Voldemort landed in the Hogwarts courtyard to find a red haired boy lying there. His name was Ronald, he knew. The boy was one of the golden boy's shadows that were beneath his notice.

The realization hit Riddle suddenly and he paled. This boy was passed out, not even a half an hour after he shot the power into his bond...

_Oh, Hades._

**(1) The clans were said at the beginning of the first chapter if anyone forget, though I don't think they're hard to remember.**

**(2) The same room Harry went into for the Triwizard tournament once his name was called.**

**(3) I bet we can guess to the 'giant bat' is ;)**

**(4) If you want to see what I had in mind, type in 'the grudge' into Google images**

**Okay so there's a poll on my profile that I'd like if you guys checked out, I like knowing what you guys think.**

**And thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: ** The. Random .Placeholder.**She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New World, New Hopes.**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH.

**Oh, and just to mention it to you guys, none of my characters are ones I created. I personally dislike making up my own characters for my stories so I found a list of all of the characters mentioned in the books and just pick from that.**

**Until my next update,**

**Lizzie's Last Night.**


	6. Deepest Desires

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning: It is and will continue to be very different from the original version**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter. J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.**

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueler in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and their mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts skyrocket as vampire attacks get closer and closer, especially when students begin disappearing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that.

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/? (it's a surprise but you guys will lovethis one ;) ), Severus/?... (this is another one you are going to love) other couples will be decided as I write.

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.**

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV. I will clearly state what is going on at the beginning of every scene to avoid confusion.**

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**Words:**8, 603

**Pages:**18

**Chapter six- **Deepest desires

"From the deepest desires

Often comes the deadliest hate."

~Socrates

**Harry's POV ~Dream Sequence~**

The Sorting Hat was really ragged looking.

Sirius told me that a fat rat liked to live in it and would sometimes fall on a student's head if the hat didn't like them; I wasn't four anymore, though, so I no longer believed him. I was eleven, old enough to understand as much as adults did. I stood beside Ron as we waited to be sorted into our respective houses, and neither of us talked too much. I think we were both too nervous to open our mouths; I know I was. I was afraid that if I tried to talk, my voice would sound like a girl's out of nerves.

A moment ago, Draco Malfoy had roughly shoved me out of his way as his name was called. He shot a sneer back at me once he reached the steps. As he moved toward the stool, the blond boy gazed out into the crowd with a smirk. The jerk-head probably just loved the fact that everyone was watching him. I had known the snobby pureblood for an hour and I already hated him. When he cornered me on the bus and told me that hanging out with filth like Weasley was unacceptable, I promptly explained to him who the real 'filth' was.

I don't think anyone had ever told the blond brat anything but praise in his life, because they boy blew up. I thought he was going to get his two massive flunkies to punch me, but he ended up just letting me know that I better watch 'it' for the next seven years. Whatever 'it' was, I was sure that it wouldn't be too bad. Malfoy was all bark and no bite, and even his bark wasn't bad. Sirius had scarier threats when I woke him up for breakfast on Sunday mornings...

The moment the old hat had touched the blonde's head, it instantly screamed "SLYTHERIN!"

An obscenely cocky smirk twisted the new Slytherin's features as he sauntered off toward his house table, receiving polite applause from all except the Slytherins, who cheered madly. I didn't see why they would cheer so enthusiastically though; It's not like a prat like him would end up in Gryffindor. A silly grin appeared on my face as I thought of the blond boy trying to live with lions, he'd end up tied and jinxed by the end of the first day.

The next few people were called and Hufflepuff got nine new members, Ravenclaw eight, Gryffindor eight and Slytherin seven. Ron had gone and was instantly put into Gryffindor, who was applauded as he went to his own table. There were only a handful of people left, including me. I felt exposed as the whole school was watching us, waiting to see who would next be sorted.

My nerves worsened even as I tried to calm myself. What if I didn't end up in Gryffindor? Sirius had talked about how I was definitely going to be a lion, no doubt about it. He had been one, and so had my parents and grandparents, so there was no way that I couldn't be one. What would he do if I ended up as a Hufflepuff? Would be still treat me the same? What if I was in Ravenclaw? The thoughts wouldn't leave my head no matter how much I tried to calm down.

The worst thought was that I might end up in Slytherin. I always imagined Malfoy's smirk when I thought of the snake house. I would have to wake up to that every day for the next seven years...I thought I'd go insane. Plus, Sirius would never talk to me again if I was in Slytherin. He'd probably put me up for adoption. Well, he wouldn't but still... he'd probably consider it.

"Harry Potter!" McGonagall's voice cut through my thoughts and almost sent me into a panic attack. It was happening now: I was going to be sorted. I wondered successfully run away, but I doubted it – they'd find me eventually. Still, running away seemed like a better prospect than facing the hat that could ruin my life with a single word.

The girl standing beside me shoved me and I stumbled forward. I kept my eyes downcast as I slowly shuffled towards my doom.

"Come on, Potter, please hurry and sit on the stool," McGonagall said clearly impatient as I timidly made my way there.

I sighed and nodded, sliding onto the stool and frowning in worry. Stupidly, I gazed out to see everyone watching me and I felt like gagging. (**1)**Everyone had curious gazes turned on me, and I saw Ron and his brothers give me the thumbs up. Well... the twins did something that I couldn't quite understand, but I'm pretty sure it was dirty. I smiled softly and felt a bit of my nerves wash away.

A slight weight was placed on my head and I felt a curious sensation. A presence was poking around my mind, like it had lost something and expected to find it in my thoughts. It wasn't a good feeling - it was an invasion of privacy - but as long as a fat rat wasn't falling on my head and shouting 'Slytherin', I was happy.

What are you looking for? I thought curiously, wondering if the hat could hear me.

The reply was rather irritated: "Of course I can hear you, dunderhead. I am surprised that you even felt my presence, most students only notice me if I choose to speak to them."

'Well aren't I lucky?' I thought sarcastically, my eyes narrowing into a glare.

The hat didn't reply, it just rummaged through my thoughts and my memories like it was his own personal library. I didn't understand why the stupid piece of cloth was taking so long, everyone else had it off in less than a minute but it had been probing my mind for almost five now. I couldn't imagine why it would take so long, but then again, it was a piece of cloth…not a potions master or anything impressive.

"You know kid, the hat said in annoyance, I'd like to see you try and do my job. You'd be worse than Dumbledore at soccer. You have a complicated mind anyway. It doesn't belong entirely to you."

'What?'I growled mentally, wanting to end this.

"Oh kid, I want to be here as much as you do. How would you like rummaging through children's heads once a year then being shoved back in a dusty closed? I was created by the amazing wizards who created Hogwarts, ungrateful brat." The hat was pissed off.

That was something I had to tell Sirius. I pissed off my first hat! There's another mind here that doesn't realize it's here... but I can't enter it. It's a locked vault sitting in the midst of your thoughts.

'That doesn't make any sense,' I replied indignantly. I think I would have felt a vault in my head by now, that's not something you just miss.

"I was speaking metaphorically, dunderhead, "the hat seemed to snarl back. "I've seen enough. It is obvious that you are a Slytherin, especially with that damned attitude of yours!"

'Put me in Gryffindor,' my voice wavered as I tried to keep the panic out of it.

The hat emitted a small chuckle. 'Note to self: hats can laugh'. "I can feel your panic, boy. You can't hide it from me - I'm in your mind, I can feel how much you don't want to go to Slytherin."

'Anywhere but Slytherin,' I was pleading now but I couldn't help it. Panic was growing in my chest like a balloon and soon it was going to burst.

"Slytherin, my dunderheaded boy, will help you greatly. It is there that you will build your strongest bonds and live up to your potential. Any other house will hinder your ascension to rule and limit your success. You cannot want this. Your care of what your loved ones think of you blinds you, and it will be your ultimate cause of failure." The hat's voice was as serious as it had been so far, and I realized that it was actually passionate about what house I'd go into.

'I know what I want,' I replied in a steady voice, trying to relay to the hat my desire to be in Gryffindor and hoping that it would understand.

"And you do not care if Slytherin will help you on your journey to success?" The hat seemed astonished and almost condescending.

I sighed in frustration. 'Gryffindor will get me where I want to be.'

"We'll see little lion..."

I didn't even notice being called a lion through the roar of cheers that erupted when the hat screamed out my house.

The grin didn't wipe off my face, even when I sat beside Ron at the Gryffindor table. I was patted on the back by a few people, and Fred even gave me Wet-Willie, though I'm sure the ginger did it in welcome. I was so elated that I didn't even mind as George mockingly transfigured my shoes into clocks because of how long I took talking to the sorting hat.

"I'm sure you're best mates now, Harry," Fred grinned.

"I was thinking more than that, dear brother," George said pointedly.

I laughed at the joke and enjoyed the feast. Everyone around me was all in a huge conversation about who was going to win the house cup this year. A fifth year named Oliver Wood said that Gryffindor was definitely going to win it this year; Apparently, he had been named quidditch team captain and was determined to win.

After a few minutes, I found my attention drifting away from the rowdy conversation and towards the teacher's table. I scanned the row of professors, and found only a few interesting. Severus Snape was conversing with a miniature teacher, twirling a glass of wine. McGonagall was talking to the headmaster in a low tone, leaning in so that the ancient professor could hear.

There was only one teacher drew my attention though, it was the defense teacher. Professor Riddle was just as new as I was to the school. Dumbledore had stated that the man was high up in the ministry and decided that he wanted to take up a career in teaching. Public demands for such a brilliant wizard to teach children prevented any argument.

The longer I looked at the man, the less I liked him. There was a growing pit of fire in my stomach that made me want to stand up and yell and scream and fight with the man - anything to get his attention on me. I didn't know where the desire came from but it was almost overpowering. A fiery hate of the man was stoked in me and it was all I could do to not through my supper at him.

It was in that moment that Riddle turned his gaze down to look in my direction. His gaze seemed to settle on me, and his brows furrowed together, as though I had confused him. Putting as much fire into it as possible, I threw a glare at the man, trying to portray my feelings but at the same time, my elation returned as his attention remained on me.

The staring contested ended, however, as a flying pea struck me in the nose.

I turned to see Draco Malfoy snickering with his friends at the Slytherin table.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what this meant.

It meant war and if the blond tosser wanted to mess with me then he was going to have another thing coming.

**!2! ~End Dream~**

**Harry's POV**

When I woke up, I was in the hospital wing, with Madam Pomfrey bustling over to give me a headache potion. I tried to decline it, but anyone who knew this woman would understand that saying 'no' just wasn't an option with her. The sad thing was, I had only gotten the headache after she'd given the potion to me; I didn't say anything, mainly out of fear that I would be bombarded with more potions.

I was sent to the hospital wing at least three times a month, usually due to Quidditch related activities, although Draco Malfoy used to send me to the hospital wing a lot during our little spats as well. I had gotten to really know Madam Pomfrey during those times and I liked her; many students thought she was a rude old woman who liked seeing students scrunch their faces when they tasted something really nasty, but those who spent more time in the hospital wing came to learn that she was rather kind and really did care about the students.

I learned that she was a mix of them both.

"Anyway, Mr. Potter, there is nothing wrong with you," The mediwitch shook the thermometer that she had just taken my temperature with and sighed. She looked back at me with a stern expression, "You probably just passed out from stress. You're fine now and free to go."

I grinned at the witch and slid off of my bed with a grin, "Thanks, ma'am. The next Quidditch practice is in a couple of days... I'll probably see you then," I joked laughing.

A slight grin threatened to ruin the witch's stern mask and she shook her head. "Out with you! You spend enough time here anyway."

I nodded and began walking toward the door, and I saw Dean leaving as well. He was fixing his shirt as he strolled toward the exit.

"Hey, Dean," I called out and quicken my pace to reach the other Gryffindor.

When his name was called, the other boy turned around. He gave me nod as I reached him, "What's up, Harry?"

I shrugged, "I spent most of my day in the hospital wing as usual. Why are you here?" That was the real question that I had been wondering when I saw the boy, I don't think that he had ever needed to go to the hospital wing before Riddle had mentally attacked him so it was strange to see him.

Dean sighed, "You know when I puked in Defence about a week ago?"

I nodded, my curiosity rose as he mentioned that class.

"Well, ever since then I have had to go to the hospital wing for a check every day, just to make sure that my magic is still working properly. Apparently, that is why I got sick in the first place. My magic just suddenly started going crazy like a dog breaking off of its chain and was about to attack me." Dean explained this all with a slight grin, as though I should be impressed that his magic is so erratic.

"How can your magic attack you?" I asked as we headed off toward the Gryffindor tower, walking side by side. "Wouldn't that be like attacking yourself?"

Dean nodded, "I thought so at first too but Madame Pomfrey explained it to me. Apparently your magic is as connected to you as your wand is, it can lash out easily and if it had a reason to, it can turn on us."

"What was its reason?"

The other Gryffindor shrugged and looked just as confused as I felt about the situation, "I don't know and neither does Madame Pomfrey. She did say that what happened to me wasn't uncommon; it was just strange for it to happen to someone like me. Stuff like that happens when someone is controlling your magic, and no one but me was in control of my magic. Typically, it is common to people who have been under the imperius curse."

His last words struck me, "Do you think that Riddle tried to do that to you?"

Dean gave me a strange look and shook his head. "Of course not. It wasn't Riddle that attacked me; Riddle would never hurt a student, ever."

I snorted and shook my head. How could Dean, the guy who Riddle had actually attacked, be brainwashed by the guy too? It made no sense - Dean had felt firsthand how evil the defense teacher was, and he still believed that Riddle didn't try to hurt him? That was crazy! It frustrated me to no end that people were so ignorant.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, and it was ridiculously awkward. I couldn't help but feel condescending toward the other Gryffindor, which I knew was completely wrong. Who knows, maybe Riddle was actually wonderful and maybe he didn't attack Dean. It could be that I just misjudged what I saw in the man, though I doubted it.

"I have good news Harry," Dean grinned, breaking the awkward silence.

I looked up, feigning as much interest as I could muster. "Yeah?"

"Lavender said that she really likes me," The other boy's smile looked silly.

It was at that moment that I realized how foolish the boy actually was. He was excited about that when there were so many other issues to think about; school, the vampire attack at Hogsmeade, Hermione's abduction by the ministry...

Oh shit.

Hello, my name is Harry Potter; the boy who had just been having a chat about another boy's girlfriend when my best friend had just been kidnapped by a group of people that may kill her for being a vampire's mate, and who don't even care that when she was sixteen a vampire was going to hunt her down! Urgh I hated the ministry lately.

I was already sprinting away when I yelled back, "That's great, Dean, I have to go now though!"

I didn't even bother contacting Sirius; He couldn't do anything. He'd proved that.

Neither McGonagall nor Snape had done anything either, so I only had one person that I knew that I could turn to. There was only one man in this whole school that had definite experience with the ministry and how it worked, which was what I needed right now. The ministry was complicated and you had to have connections there in order to get any answers (I've heard Sirius talking to other people about it).

With that thought in mind, I headed down to Riddle's office.

!3!

**Harry's POV again**

The douchebag was just entering his office as I turned down the defense corridor.

Riddle's head shot up as I began to run toward him. His sapphire eyes acquired a glow to them and a slight, demonic smile tightened on his lips. He was wearing black robes that definitely didn't look like they should be worn by a teacher. Actually, I would have expected to see them on someone stalking around Knockturn Alley at night.

"Potter," the man nodded as I arrived quickly. He cast a probing glance at me, probably wondering why I looked messier than usual. That pissed me off. I'd like to see the shithead wake up and have to run down to the Great Hall to save his best friend then faint in the middle of nowhere. The sad thing is that he'd probably still look like his perfect, evil self.

Fuck, I hated everything about the man.

"Riddle," I sighed, trying to catch my breath.

I had just sprinted up four flights of moving stairs. It wasn't lazy to be out of breath.

The man seemed thoroughly amused by my state of breathlessness and laughed, though not in a rude way. Surprisingly, it seemed like he genuinely found it funny to see me so out of breath. The stupid actor was probably making rude comments mentally. Damn, he thinks he is so much better than everyone else...

Riddle opened his door and moved aside as an invitation for me to enter. "Well come in, Mr. Potter. There has to be a reason why you put in so much effort to find me, so I guess this will be quite the long story. I had an elf run to get me dinner, but when it comes back you can get it to bring you water or another beverage." The professor gave me an amused look. "You definitely need it."

I glared at the man as I passed through the threshold of his office and looked around. It was the exactly the same as it had been last time, but more verdant. The bookshelves had green designs all over them and the room was painted a soft emerald. There were paintings of people dressed in the Slytherin colors and Riddle's chair was green velvet as well. Hell, even the quill that the man wrote with was that color.

For the first time I noticed a chunky emerald ring sitting on Riddle's finger that the man absentmindedly stroked every now and then. The man's eyes would burn with fire whenever he looked down at it, even though he did it every few seconds. I assumed that the ring was a family heirloom because I knew that the man wasn't married. Who in their right mind would marry such an asshole?

The man had quite an obvious obsession with Slytherin house. It was strange, though, because he wasn't Slytherin Head of House, and he seemed to like Slytherin and Ravenclaw equally, but I didn't see any blue or bronze around either. Maybe he had a special connection with a Slytherin student? No it couldn't be that.

For some reason, the thought of the man having a strong connection to anyone pissed me off beyond belief. The bloody bastard couldn't do that! It would be illegal for one thing, and no one could want to be close to him! I hadn't seen him pay close attention to anyone, so that idea was just stupid. Crazy. Obviously wrong. Not possible.

"Wow..." I muttered as I sat down before his desk, "... you really like Slytherin. I mean obsessively like. I haven't seen this much green since Malfoy took off his shoe." I grinned to myself, feeling satisfaction that I made the other man grin as well.

"Well, that is something I cannot believe," he sat down behind his desk and shrugged off his coat against the chair while smoothing down the not existent wrinkles on his robe. I couldn't help but watch as Riddle's sleeveless arms came into view. His skin was kissed by moonlight and had a silvery sheen to it, as though a black light had been lit beneath his very skin. It was so exotic... it was hard to look away... I barely registered that he wore a muggle shirt underneath the cloak. "You seem to be quite good friends with Mr. Malfoy, I've noticed."

I had to wretch my eyes away from the skin revealed to me and back to the bastard's face. It took me a moment to realize what Riddle had been implying.

Oh, shit.

Everyone thought that Malfoy and I hated each other. No one knew about us. Had Draco told the man? (2) No, the blond would have told me if he had, so I ruled that out. Riddle's eyes were serious and held fire behind them, so it was obvious that he knew.

I sighed and leaned back on the chair, choosing my words carefully. "What makes you say that, Professor?" I made sure to search the man's eyes carefully as I said this so I could be sure what his emotions were on the matter.

"Well," Riddle's fiery eyes burned behind a thick glaze of ice, "I consider myself to be an observant man. I notice when two boys who are known to hate each other suddenly start acting differently. I merely observe."

Riddle knew, oh shit he knew. Was he going to be disgusted that Draco and I were both guys? He seemed to be. The older man's eyes were cold, so he probably thought that both Draco and I were sick and what we are doing is against nature. Wait, why did his opinion of my sexuality matter so much? I almost had a panic attack over it…which was stupid. I had to remember that this was only Riddle: the man didn't matter.

I sighed and leaned forward in my chair. "And are you disgusted of your observations? Observations which you had no right to make?"

The man watched me carefully and our eyes were dueling. I was challenging while he was staying calm and observant, though we were both glaring and hoping that the other would look away first. I wasn't going to look away and back down to the stupid bastard, hell would freeze over before I would allow that to happen. The dick could glare as much as he wanted but I was not going to be intimidated into looking away; Riddle would... I was sure of that.

Without breaking eye contact, Riddle said softly, "I went to the hospital wing just before I came here to drop off your friend Ronald Weasley."

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. I stood up and growled softly, "What did you do to him, Riddle?" I puffed out my chest in an attempt to intimidate the douche, but I don't think it worked. I'm not a very scary guy.

But if the bastard had done anything to Ron then I would dedicate the rest of my life to taking him down and showing him that he doesn't own the whole fucking school - even if everyone falls for his facade.

The blue-eyed man cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, not at all affected by my attempt at being scary. In all honesty, he seemed genuinely amused that I'd even try, judging by the sly gleam in the bastard's eye. "I'm affronted that you'd jump to that conclusion, Potter, but don't worry. I didn't touch a single fiery hair on your friend's head. I found him unconscious in the courtyard." Riddle's voice was soft as he told me this and was a slight frown had begun to mar his pale features; whatever he had just thought of was obviously bothering him.

"Why take him there?" I didn't sit down. My eyes narrowed accusingly, and I knew that the bastard wasn't telling the whole truth. I could tell by the frown that was plastered on his face. He had probably been the one to cause Ron to faint in the first place, and that was what he had been lying about. If the stupid bastard thought that he could fool me then he was an idiot. I lived with Sirius Black, the king of 'No, I wasn't the one who let off a dung bomb in Percy's room'. By comparison, Riddle was an amateur.

His voice was slow and condescending. "Because that is where you take people in need of healing, Potter." It was as though he was talking to a kid.

That pissed me off.

"Not if you make him faint in the first place!" I snapped back angrily.

Riddle sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You really are something else, Potter." He let go of his nose and looked back up at me, "As I said before: I did not harm your friend."

"If you didn't, who did then?"

The man considered me as though I was a fly that wouldn't stop buzzing around his head. "I'll repeat this one more time if you still do not understand. I arrived at the courtyard and found your friend unconscious, lying on the ground. I did nothing but take him to the hospital wing."

I didn't say anything immediately, merely regarded him with hatred. It was difficult to admit, but the man wasn't bad looking. It was hard for anyone to be around Riddle without recognizing his allure, it was even more trying for me. Something about Riddle's cold, condescending sapphire eyes paralyzed me if I stared at them for too long, and they tugged at my heart and almost made me regret everything rude that I had said to him. I knew that the man must have placed some charm on himself to draw people closer to him, and I was ashamed that it worked on me as well; it was what I hated most about him.

"Why would you do something so kind?" I sat down and glared at him, letting him know that I wasn't fooled by his stupid little lie like all of the other cattle in the school. I tried to put as much hatred into my gaze as possible.

Riddle sighed and leant forward on his chair, his frown returning, and his voice soft, without a hint of disdain. "Why do you think I am a horrible person? What have I ever done to you, Potter? I have never hurt anyone here and I try extremely hard to stay on everyone's good side, yet you act as if I'm a demon trying to poison everyone and drag them to hell."

My face turned blank. Though I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out. My mind had disconnected from my body, and all I could do was stare at Riddle's eyes. It wasn't what the man had said that affected me, but the emotion in his eyes. The sapphire orbs were bright but filled with sadness and confusion and for the first time, I felt something for the man. For the first time in years, the man wasn't a monster to me.

It lasted a grand total of ten seconds.

"You attacked Dean in class. I know you did. You may have fooled everyone else, Professor Riddle, but you haven't fooled me." My voice was low and menacing; I knew that I shouldn't say this to a teacher, but my respect for the guy was null and I didn't give two tenths of a fuck if I got house points taken away or even a month's worth of detentions. This was worth it.

The man stared at me with an emotionless face while his eyes were alight once again with fire, and I found that I preferred that look much more. It was strange to say, but the fire in him lit one in me. It was almost addicting…and the reason why I loved to hate him. "Well, you are certainly brave. I'll give you that one, Potter. I am wondering about something less trivial, however."

"And what would that be?" I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. Warmth had filled me once he called me brave that doubled my confidence, I knew that it was only because he complimented me but I still felt giddy. I could only compare the feeling to drinking red wine.

"How are you feeling?"

"What?"

"Are you daft, Potter?" Riddle said smoothly, "I asked how you were feeling?"

I just stared at the man, wondering if he was joking. Why was he asking me this? It made no sense. "I'm fine Riddle. I'm sure that you are asking me this out of compassion for your favorite student right?" I growled, wondering why he was taunting me. He was just such an asshole that it was hard to believe sometimes.

An odd gleam came to the man's eyes and he smirked softly. He looked down at his ring once more and stroked it lovingly. "When I went to drop your friend off at the infirmary today, I talked to Poppy. Many kids were there, all fainted from the examination today and I was curious about it. I asked her to list everyone that had fainted, out of curiosity to see who had found the examination the most challenging, and she mentioned a few typical people. However," Riddle turned the full force of his sapphire eyes on me once more but far more intensely, "she mentioned that you had been brought in. And what I thought was the most curious part was that you hadn't been examined." He paused and leant even closer, his voice dropped, "you just fainted out of nowhere. I even asked Poppy what caused it, and she didn't know..." He paused for a moment and seemed a little lost on what he wanted to say.

"...Do you know why you had fainted Harry?" Riddle's voice was still soft and his eyes had melted as well.

I bit my lip and tried to throw as much menace into my voice as possible, "I was about to chase after Bonaccord to try and get him to release Hermione... she had been tested as a vampire's mate...when I just collapsed. What's it to you, Riddle?"

The man paused and his eyes widened, "You were harassing Bonaccord? Fool! I doubt you even realize what he would have done to you! You were about to walk straight into danger and not even know it!" That seemed to have struck a chord within the man and he just stared at me with a straight face. His eyes reflected fear, and he said nothing else.

"That doesn't matter," I shook my head and looked away from the intensity of his eyes. I could usually look the man straight in the eye... but something had changed and I wasn't sure how to handle it. "I came here because I... I need your...h...help." It was shocking how hard it was to ask the man for help; it just sounded unnatural coming from me.

Riddle's eyes lit up once more. "With what?"

I sighed and frowned, "The... The Ministry took Hermione. I need to get her back, but..."

"...You don't know how?" Riddle finished my sentence knowingly. I expected there to be condescension in his voice but there was none, his tone but knowing but held no arrogance.

I said nothing, but my eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms, looking away. I grunted and knew that Riddle would understand that I was saying yes without actually having to answer. It was hard to admit to the man that I didn't know how to do something. My pride wouldn't allow it.

Riddle considered it and nodded, "I'll help you."

I frowned. Why would he agree so easily? Didn't the man want anything in return?

Of course he did, it was Riddle that I was dealing with.

"What do you want in exchange?" I asked suspiciously.

The man sighed, "Justice."

I stared at him, looking him straight in the eye to see if he had any other motives or if he was lying. His blue eyes were clear; I couldn't see any malice within the sapphire waves in his eyes so I sighed. I needed the man's help, so I was going to have to trust him - even if I felt that I shouldn't. It was for Hermione and I'd make a deal with a devil to save her... it looked like that was exactly what I would have to do, ironically.

I sighed and nodded. "Well, what will I need to do?"

Riddle rubbed his ring once more as though he hadn't heard me, but I knew he did. The bastard was contemplating this, certainly. I wondered what he would make me do… probably make me get him fresh souls to eat or something. Staring at the man, I wondered if that guess was actually close to the truth.

"I... it would help if you researched vampires and their mates," The man finally said softly. "If your friend is destined to be with a vampire then you must know more on how to accept her."

"That's it?" I frowned.

"That's it."

I just nodded and rose to my feet carefully, keeping my eyes on the seated man. He was staring up at me with eyes that I had never seen before this night. It was hard to hate the man while his eyes were this soft, because for once it didn't look like he hated me. There was still fire in Riddle's eyes but it was a different one. Before it was a spitting fire, but now it was warm and enveloping.

I left a few minutes later, as the house elf came with Riddle's dinner.

I wasn't sure what to make of Riddle now.

The man had changed, and the difference was going to make itself apparent very soon.

!4!

**Draco's POV**

Draco sighed as he trudged back to his common room, accompanied by a few other Slytherins. It was about ten o'clock, and everyone was tired after being tested. They had been the last to go and hadn't even been called down until seven. Thankfully, they were all excused from their first class in the morning which all the other houses still had to attend.

No one was taken from their house, and as far as Draco knew the only person in the whole school who had been taken was Granger from Gryffindor, which was itself surprising because there hadn't been a Mate who was a wizard in years…but that was probably because no one knew about the rest. The Ministry had gotten a hole-in-one this time around, but they were still shitty at the game.

Their tests weren't even very accurate: They just looked into people's minds in search of any memories of contact, (Draco knew how to shield his memories and thoughts as did every other half-vampire) but a vampire would have to be strong enough to be a clan leader to even have the slightest contact with their Mate, and vampires like that were one in a million.

They had even tested students out to see if anyone was unnaturally fast, strong, or beautiful, but once again their lack of knowledge worked against them. A vampire would have to be ridiculously powerful for their Mate to have extra strength, beauty, or speed before they turn sixteen, and even after they do it isn't very noticeable. Once again, maybe the leader of the Velocita clan might have a Mate that can run about as fast as dragon could fly.

Draco was only as fast or strong as a human. Most half-vampires were like this and additionally average looking. Draco, however, was the son of Belleza clan leader, so he was naturally more attractive than most humans (and almost as much as an ugly vampire). The Ministry dogs couldn't say that his beauty made him a half-vampire though, so they had nothing on him.

Draco sighed, his mind returning to Harry…as it always did. He wondered how the Gryffindor was taking the loss of his friend. Draco hoped he was coping well. He was going to confront Harry about it and hopefully the boy would open up to him. Harry had always been half closed off to Draco, and he blond wasn't sure what else he could do to get Harry to trust him.

The blond shook his head and collapsed on his bed, staring at the roof once again. He had to write to Father about the tests today, but he wasn't in the mood at the moment. He was rarely in the mood to talk to his father. It wasn't as though the blond didn't like Lucius, but Draco always had to act like the model son around him; it was expected of him. He wasn't going to lie, his father did scare him at times.

Draco didn't know anyone who wasn't afraid of his father, human or vampire.

Well... actually Tom Riddle didn't seem to be. Draco assumed that Riddle was just a high ranking vampire, maybe almost as high as his father (that was extremely unlikely though). Once he had asked his father about Riddle and the older man had just told Draco not to ask questions unless he already knew the answers to them. Draco didn't quite understand at the time, but as he grew and began to meet more vampires, he was beginning to understand.

The blond looked down at his bed and wondered what his life would have been like if he wasn't Lucius's son. He wouldn't have been put under the stress of learning vampire etiquette and he wouldn't have the stress of being forced to do well in school and without getting close to anyone... if he had a different father then he would have been able to tell him about Harry. Draco understood why Lucius didn't want him to get close to a human (so he wouldn't choose to remain a human) but it still frustrated him. He almost wished that he knew his mother; Lucius only used her to bear an heir before taking her memories of him and sending her out on her way.

Draco wondered if his mother would have loved him the way his father didn't, if he would have been more than just an heir. Sometimes, Draco liked to pretend that he had a mother who loved him and held him, and sent him cookies just to show that she loved him like some of the other mothers did for their children.

Draco knew that he was a little fucked up, hell; he was fucked up a lot.

That didn't matter now though because Draco had Harry, and one day they'd be the family that Draco had always wanted but had only ever dreamed about. Lucius could go fuck himself; Draco wasn't going to be a vampire, especially if that meant that he had to give up Harry. He once promised the green-eyed Gryffindor that he'd always be there for him.

…and Draco meant it.

He loved Harry, he always had and he knew that the love was never going to fade. Harry was like a star that shone in a pitch-black world, lighting the way and showing him that everything wasn't as dark as it seemed.

Harry was his star.

Draco stared up at the roof with a small smile on his lips as the face of his love appeared before his eyes. As much as Harry was his star, he too belonged to Harry. All he had to do now was keep Harry and show his green-eyed beauty the future that Draco was more than willing to build for them.

!5!

**Harry's POV**

I woke up early - about an hour before breakfast started - and took a shower. I realized that I hadn't taken one yesterday and instantly felt gross. I'd had a tough day yesterday, and I hadn't even taken the stupid tests. I guess I was lucky that I went to sleep because I didn't go take the tests when everyone else had.

When I got back last night, Dean had told me that my name had been called after everyone else, but when they learned that I had fainted they decided not to wait and left. It was extremely strange that they had given up so easily, but apparently Bonaccord had been the one who told the rest of the ministry workers to leave me alone, and everyone had listened to him.

Bonaccord was definitely someone that I had to look out for in the future, because no one would have let me off that easy unless they had ulterior motives. I had no clue what I had done to the little bastard, but I guessed I was on his hit list now as well. The blond guy did freak me out, I'll admit that, but I wasn't afraid of him.

The castle was clear as I headed toward the hospital wing, hoping that the nurse would let me in this early. It was about a half of an hour before breakfast but I wouldn't have been able to eat without knowing how Ron was doing. I didn't understand how he could have just passed out - out of the blue. I was still fairly sure that Riddle had done something to him, so I needed Ron to confirm my suspicions.

The doors were closed when I had gotten there, and when I knocked Madam Pomfrey came out with messy hair and a surly attitude. Guess who wasn't a morning person? She crankily informed me that Ron hadn't woken up yet and that she would send someone when he did. I tried to convince her to let me in to see him but she promptly refused, stating that I would wake up other patients that were trying to sleep and didn't need to be interrupted.

There was no fighting with the witch so I left grudgingly, planning to return after my first class.

I arrived at breakfast to find most of the Gryffindor table to be in small groups, everyone hastening to read something. It was strange to see so many people down for breakfast already; Normally, most wouldn't have even woken up yet, let alone be showered, dressed and down for breakfast. It was no shocker to only see one or two people sitting at the Slytherin table, both Snake versions of Hermione. I knew them from some of my classes.

The thought of Hermione sent a pang of sadness through my chest and I sighed, sitting down at the table and wondering if I would get an appetite soon. The food looked great but my stomach was sending rumbles that basically said 'whatever comes down here is going straight back up'. I guessed that I wasn't eating this morning.

Unaware of my surroundings, I sat next to Neville, who had just pried himself from one of the clusters of students. His hair was messy and he was biting his lip in fear. "Hey, Harry."

"Hey Nev," I replied, regarding one of the groups with slight interest, "What's everyone looking at?"

Neville's brow creased. "The Daily Prophet."

"What happened?" I asked, fear flooding through me at what could have happened to cause such a stir in the other students, most of whom had never read a paper in their life.

Neville leant in and looked around, as though anyone cared what he was saying, before whispering, "There's been another attack in Hogsmeade. This time, apparently, it was even closer to Hogwarts. Some people are speculating that vampires are... singling out our school now. It's gotten everyone into a frenzy, if you hadn't noticed already."

My eyes widened and I shook my head.

What on earth was happening to the world?

!6!

**Voldemort's POV**

The king of the vampires stood alone in the cold trees of the Forbidden forest, the world was dark but that was only due to his presence. Anywhere near him it seemed like night, but in truth it was early in the morning. The forest was silent, which was expected as anything living would have left ages ago when he first decided to go for a walk.

The forest had been a sanctuary for him in the years he had been at Hogwarts. The times he could smell his mate... but they were still undetectable drove him mad and he couldn't keep up his alias any longer were horrible and the forest was his only escape from the school.

That wouldn't be a problem for him after this year, it was all over. His Mate was fifteen and once they turned sixteen Voldemort would be able to take them properly without the nonsense he was dealing with at the moment.

The man sighed and stared up at the school that had been his home for so long. His mate was in there, he was sure now. When he had taken the red haired boy to the hospital wing he had spoken to the nurse and it had been a conversation that changed his life. Literally.

Many people had fainted that day, to his dismay but there was only two who had fainted without cause: Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. It was then that the eyes lashed before him, as they had so many times before. A vision of his Mate's eyes, that he would get occasionally whenever he felt the closest to his mate, had arrived at the perfect moment.

His Mate's eyes were emerald, the most beautiful shade he would have ever imagined and there was only one person they belonged to. His mate was a surprise but was a unexpectedly good one as well.

He had been angry at himself for never noticing his Mate before, after all only one person would have eyes like that. It didn't matter anymore though, he could protect his Mate properly now and he would be able to court him the way such a gorgeous thing deserved.

Voldemort sighed and smiled up at the castle, rubbing the ring that was made to look like his Mate's eyes, one day soon he would be with his mate.

All of the demons in hell couldn't stop him now.

**(1) Remember for the dream that Harry was eleven and far less confident than he is now!**

**(2) Draco doesn't know who Tom is, he only knows that Tom is a vampire.**

**And thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: ** .Placeholder.**She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New world, New hopes.**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH.

**Wow, this was probably the longest chapter that I have written yet, I don't know how I finished it this fast (its fast for me lol) and hope that you guys liked reading as much as I liked writing it.**

**Thoughts on Tom/Harry now?**

**Anyone feel bad for Draco?**

**Anyone excited to see what is going to happen at Hogwarts now?**

**Tell me what you guys think and I'll be fuelled to update faster... ;) **

**Sorry for not finishing all of the review replies from the first chapter but I wanted to get this done as soon as I could. I have half of the next chapter done too for anyone who is excited for it. I know I am! **


	7. He knows

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.**

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_this one ;) ), Severus... (this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.**

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV.**

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**This chapter was one of my better ones, even if it took me a while to write it. I am excited to see if you guys like reading it almost as much as I like writing it, so it would be awesome if I could get some reviews.**

**Word in this chapter: 9,821**

**Pages:**19

**Chapter seven- **He knows

"If you play with fire,

you're gonna get burned."

**Harry's POV ~Dream~**

I was dreaming again, for the first time in a few weeks.

It was strange because this was the first time I had slept well since the day the Ministry workers came. Ron had yet to wake, and they were going to take him to St. Mungo's, the hospital. Four days had passed, and Madam Pomfrey realized that she couldn't help him properly. She was hoping that the mediwizards would understand what had happened to the boy better than she did.

Worry for Ron had distracted me these past few days. First, Hermione was gone, and then I lost Ron as well. I was officially the worst friend imaginable; I had lost my two best friends in one day and still couldn't do anything about it. I was absolutely worthless. I even needed _Riddle_to help me try and save 'Mione. I hated myself for losing them both! I should have done something, anything, to help…but instead I passed out like a stupid, little baby. I didn't deserve Ron or Hermione as friends...Well, I guess that I didn't have them anymore.

The last few days I hadn't really talked to anyone, just spending my time researching Ministry laws. They only had one law about vampire mates but it wasn't actually stated in the book that I had read, it had been only referred to briefly. I'd planned to talk to Riddle about it, but I had Quidditch practice every evening to get ready for the upcoming match against Slytherin.

I had actually looked up vampire Mates, but only found information that I had already known from Sirius. I snuck into the restricted section to find any books about vampires, and even there discovered only one. The single tidbit that I hadn't already known was that if a vampire is extraordinarily strong, (I'm talking vampire clan leader material) he could brush up against his Mate's consciousness and sometimes even enter their dreams.

That part of information had been interesting because... well you know about my little problem. I had tried to find out about vampires that frequently entered dreams, but I couldn't find anything - what this vampire was doing should have been impossible. I really didn't know what I was dealing with, I suppose. I had tried to not think about it, but now reading up about them, I had to face the fact that I was in the same predicament as 'Mione.

There was an obscenely strong vampire out there that was trying to figure out a way to track me down as we speak. That idea scared me beyond belief, but I knew that I would have to be strong and fight it until the end. I was going to die before a vampire would turn me into itsbitch. Well, I should say it this way; the vampire would die beforeitcould make me itsbitch. I was safe at the moment because itcouldn't find me until my sixteenth birthday... but once I turned sixteen I was going to have to be ready to battle with the devil.

No matter what, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone about this. For one thing, if anyone found out, then I could be killed. For a second... if the vampire suspected me before my birthday and then met me in my dreams... then itwould be able to actually see me, all itneeds is to be fairly sure that it is me and then it wouldn't matter how old I was, itwould still see me in my dreams.

That was why I was more nervous than ever now, knowing that I was asleep.

The vampire was here, I knew it, and I could sense it.

I was walking down the same hallway as I always did, with the dark wood door at the end. I knew what would be behind the door, I knew _who_would be behind the door, and yet I didn't turn around. I knew who would be there waiting for me, but I didn't want to stop and not enter. I didn't know what was wrong with me, yet I didn't really care all that much. I wasn't saying that I _wanted_to see the vampire... I just didn't want to _not_see him.

Yeah, I didn't understand either but I couldn't fight the feeling.

I proceeded gingerlydown the hallway, my eyes never straying from the door handle that seemed to be winking at me in the candlelight along the dark walls. It was cold when I finally reached the end and slowly turned the knob to reveal the inside of the room - the same room that I had visited many times before.

I stood in the doorway, as usual, taking in the familiar sight of the crimson walls and the fireplace with little creatures engraved that always seemed to move and fight with each other when I wasn't watching. The two empty chairs were still seated before the fire, looking just as lonely as they always had. Of course, there was still the man standing before the fireplace.

He didn't turn around when I opened the door, as per usual. His hands were crossed behind his back and he was staring into the fire pit, which was still as empty and cold as it had always been. The man had never been as engrossed with the empty pit before, but for some reason he was staring deeply into its solemn depths.

Something had changed, that much was obvious. The room was darker than before, and there was electricity in the air that sent shivers down my spine, and it caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. The vampire had changed as well, and that change was much more subtle. His back was rigid, and his knuckles were white from the way he was clenching his hands. Darkness was oozing out of the very pores of his skin in suffocating waves and for the first time I was able to feel his power.

It was outstanding, incredible. I was almost knocked onto my knees from his force of power. It was so much more than Dumbledore, or Riddle or anyone I had ever met. If Riddle's power was a ripple than this man's was a tidal wave. I could feel it spread through me and massage mine, like a mother bear cuddling its young.

"Why are you facing away?" I asked softly, not even bothering to walk inside. It wouldn't work if I tried. I wanted the man's attention and that meant that he had to face me.

I knew that he had heard me, but he remained silent for a few minutes until I heard a great sigh. "I am afraid of what I will see." He still did not turn around, and it was causing a bubble of anger towell upin my chest.

"What are you afraid of seeing?" I asked carefully, frowning softly. He wouldn't be able to see anything anyway, so I didn't understand why he cared so much.

His voice was grave and I could actually hear the sadness that was sunk into his voice. The sadness really struck a chord because it was so sincere and deep, like an emotion that he had long been acquainted with. "I fear that you won't be there when I turn around ... that you aren't actually real."

I cocked an eyebrow, "I am talking to you aren't I? I am about as real as you can get."

The man sighed and shook his head, "...you don't understand." His voice was tired and almost confused. A pang broke through my chest, and instinctually I reached a hand out but let it fall, not knowing what I was expecting to do anyway. I wanted to take the confusion and sadness away from him and stow it within me, and that scared me more than I could possibly ever explain. It wasn't a feeling that could be described in words... it was deeper than that.

"You know that you are only being forced to care," I said softly, staring at the floor as my own thoughts hurt. "Vampires needed a weakness so you were designed to love someone that you never would have under normal circumstances... You could always think of that whenever you are confused... or depressed. I don't really mean anything to you." I knew these facts, I had read about this before and listened to Sirius as he told me about it, but it never hurt as viscerally as it did right now. I could feel my eyes burning with tears that I would never allow to fall.

It was then that the man slowly turned around with a tight back, and I could sense a look of utter astonishment on his indistinguishable features, "You really believe that, don't you? You truly think that I am _forced _to care about you? You believe that I am merely compelled to care about you because of my species?" His voice was incredulous, with a lilt to it and he turned around... as though he was tearing up.

I nodded slowly, not understanding the change in the man's tone. "I know that you only care about me because you're a vampire. That is what the books say."

The vampire's soft voice turned slightly bitter, "Books written by wizards who know nothing. They are wrong." He paused and took a deep breath. "They're wrong," he repeated gently. "The real reason why vampires have mates is much more complicated." For the first time ever, he took a step towards me. For some strange reason, I didn't want to turn away.

He didn't come closer, however, before he continued in the same soft, gentle voice, "Vampires have Mates because our emotions are far more complex than humans. When we feel an emotion... we feel it entirely, while humans only feel a shadow of it. Emotions are truly powerful, and although humans can't feel the true power of them, vampires can." He sighed and pushed the hair out of his eyes, "So when we feel love... it is all-consuming, and it burns like the sun inside us. We have Mates because we have the capability of finding someone, one person in all of time that we can love entirely and truly with all of our heart and soul."

He stopped then and took a step back, waiting for me to reply. His shoulders were hunched and he looked away, back towards the same empty fireplace. His hands were crossed behind his back while his head was bowed. The man looked tired and it didn't suit him.

I couldn't believe what the vampire was saying. He had spoken so passionately... so whole-heartedly about his feelings that it was hard to answer. The man had left himself so vulnerable; I knew that if something rude at that moment would probably crush the man. The thought was tempting, but I couldn't bring myself to do it; nothing rude would even form in my mouth. In fact, words couldn't seem to form.

I regarded the man for a few minutes, wishing that I could see what he looked like. His stance was straight backed, and I could tell that he was very proud. He wasn't the Tom Riddle kind of proud/cocky though, that was easy to see. This man knew he was powerful but he didn't feel as though he thought he was better than most other people, like Riddle did.

"That's why the war with vampires started, you know," The man sighed, his voice was more casual now but it was still soft with thought. "Vampires feel emotions to such a higher extent than humans do, we view things differently. We place importance on different things than Wizards do; our definition of 'morality' is much different than yours. What we believe to be good can we considered evil to you, while the same goes for wizards."

His voice had grown stronger and more confident as he spoke his piece, and you could tell that he had really believed what he was saying and that it meant something to him. I could sense a fire raging in him that I was immediately drawn to. This man was obviously someone who had authority, someone who was a natural leader and easy to follow. He had put the difference between Wizards and Vampires in such a simple way that I found my hatred for the things (unspecific?) waning.

"So how do you condone killing humans?" I asked, the question burning my mind until it was released. Yes, the man had spoken with passion but I couldn't just allow myself to believe anyone that easily. It was in my nature to be an annoying ass and ask questions until the end. I couldn't imagine anyway this could be excused.

"How do you condone killing vampires?" The man asked back bluntly, he turned around and crossed his arms. A slow smirk had grown on his face once more. "How do you condone killing foxes or cows or animals in general?" His tone held a note of arrogance, and I could feel hatred bubbling up inside my chest.

I glared as best as I could and stood straighter, crossing my arms and speaking in a haughty tone to match the vampire's, "Vampires killed humans first and we both know it. Moreover, killing foxes or cows is only for food purposes, and they don't have the soul that humans do. Animals can't feel the same emotions as wizards."

The vampire regarded me for a moment before nodding, "I understand that humans like to believe that vampires kill humans first, but that isn't the case. Vampires take what we need to survive, usually from the willing, and then leave so we don't cause unneeded violence." His smirked then widened, "This is like what wizards to for food, yet I've never heard of a wizard refraining from killing their prey. And animals can feel pain can't they? They can feel fear as well; there is not much difference between wizards and animals. Vampires leave Wizards alive out of the desire to kill the least amount of people as possible, while wizards simply think of themselves."

(Can Harry cite an instance where a vampire killed wizards (beyond Auror clashes)? Can Tom explain away why a vampire would engage in such conduct?)

The anger growing in my chest bubbled and I clenched my fists, "Vampires kill wizards dozens of wizards a year! The vampire in Hogsmead had killed needlessly! You cannot deny that! Wizards only kill vampires in self-defense." I gave the man an obscene hand gesture when he tried to open his mouth to interrupt, "Don't you dare interrupt me, bastard. Animals are not the same as wizards, they can't feel things the same way that we do. They aren't as intelligent and can't think of things on our level."

The man laughed, and it was full of arrogance, "You know, it's almost fun to debate with you. I have never met any human who will argue their case when it is so obvious that you have lost." His stance was relaxed and the bastard seemed to be enjoying the conversation. "Wizards aren't on the same level as vampires; they do not feel things on the same level as we do. Wizards are to vampires as animals are to wizards and yet vampires try their best to leave them alive while wizards go out of their way to kill animals." He paused and sighed, "And the vampire in Hogsmead was killing not out of spite for wizards... but wanted to compromise vampire's integrity."

I stood there staring at the bastard for a few minutes, my hands clenched, silently grinding my teeth. I was trying my best to glare at him, hopefully intimidating the vampire to even a slight extent. I had nothing to really say back to the stupid asshole, and I had never felt so lost for words or helpless. I wanted to yell and scream and_hurt_the man but I couldn't. I felt like a caged tiger full of rage. "Why would a vampire kill a human to spite a vampire?"

The man sighed and shook his head, "That is an awfully long story and rather complicated at that, there will be other times for me to explain these things..." He didn't look as sure as his tone suggested though.

The man still stood there, but his stance wasn't so relaxed. He had stopped laughing or smirking and I could tell that his face was twisted into a grimace and he had his hands at his sides, as though he didn't know what to do with himself. He looked genuinely confused and lost, especially with all of his cockiness gone.

I felt a trickle of guilt coming from somewhere in my mind and I knew for sure that it wasn't from me. I scrunched my eyes to try and figure out where it had come from before I found what felt like a closed door in my mind. The emotion was oozing from the cracks above and underneath the door, like the door was trying to hold back a tidal wave. I had never noticed it before, I guess because I had never really looked for it but now that I know it is there it seemed impossible to miss. I had a sinking in my gut that that was my connection to the vampire before me.

That guilt was oozing through the door... that meant that it had to have come from the vampire. That wasn't horribly hard to see, as the man had guilt written all over his stance. It was strange though, why would he feel bad for angering me? Why would he even care?

The emotion that was coming through the bond was genuine though, that much was obvious. It was hard to believe but the bastard actually had a soul... he could feel regret and it was so strong that the only thing I could possibly compare it to would be a giant tidal wave. I could feel sadness; I could feel regret and strangely I could feel something else. I didn't really understand it, nor could I possibly begin to explain it but it was stronger than anything I had felt yet. It was stronger than sadness or regret or anger... the closest emotion it could match would be love... but saying 'love' sounded so shallow compared to this.

I took a deep breath and watched the man dealing with his emotions. Judging from how they were trying to force their way through the closed door, the emotions were probably meant for me.

The thought scared me.

Yet I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man. His emotions were so powerful and the only thing that I would ever do is act horribly to him. I never planned on meeting the bastard, but, seeing this side of his personality, it was hard to hate him. He was vulnerable now, and I knew that if I wanted to I could have hurt him emotionally with ease.

I didn't want to, though. I already felt bad and I didn't understand why the fuck I did. I wanted to be angry at the bastard for making me feel this way, but seeing him lose all of his confidence had struck at my core, and I wanted the confident version of him back. Everything was easier when I could just pretend he was another hollow blood sucker. I couldn't forget the change in him now, though. There was no going back.

He opened his mouth a few times before closing it. I was somewhat amused that he finally had nothing to say, but it didn't give me that satisfaction that I'd thought it would. He was probably thinking about apologizing for upsetting me and couldn't decide how. So we both stood there in silence, although it wasn't awkward. We both knew that he felt bad, and we both knew that he wanted to apologize, he just didn't know how. I almost wanted to tell him that it was okay, he was only trying to prove a point, and that I had just overreacted, but the words wouldn't move from my mind to my mouth, so I remained silent.

After his third attempt, I sighed and wanted the silence to be over with. "I know a vampire hunter." I spat out anything, not realizing how idiotic I sounded until I heard the words out loud. "They told me a lot about vampires... they weren't as right as they'd thought, though."

The vampire's eyes lit up and he cleared his throat. He gave me a small smile, "He told you that vampires were mindless killers with the sole purpose in life of drinking blood, I am sure. That is the popular opinion of us... especially amongst the hunters." His voice was still soft and didn't have the same haughty ring in it, now he just sounded bitter about the whole thing.

I wasn't surprised by his reaction; I would have felt the same way if our positions were reversed. Being a member of a hated race would make anyone bitter, even if they deserved it. I shook my head though and smiled lightly, "They told me that you are killers but that you're also dead smart and bloody impossible to kill." I explained simply, "They did say that you had loyalty to your own kind and probably aren't horrible to each other, but you just see humans as cattle."

The vampire smirked softly and shook his head, "That is better than what I usually hear." He paused and sighed, his muscles tight once more, "have you told him about me yet?"

I bit my lip and looked away, wondering if I should lie and say yes. If the vampire thought that I was protected by a hunter, he would be wary of trying to hunt me down... but I didn't know if he would be able to tell that I was lying. The connection I had with him was still a closed door, but it was stronger lately, more noticeable.

Would he be able to sense my emotions now?

I hoped not, because I was fucked if he could.

I took a deep breath and looked at the vampire who was waiting patiently for my reply. "No, I haven't." I didn't want to take the risk of lying right now, because it could piss off the vampire and I really didn't know what I was dealing with... as much as I hated to admit it. "I could tell them whenever I want, though, so don't get any ideas."

The vampire gazed as me with a pained gaze for a few minutes. His eyebrows were pulled together in a grimace, and it was easy to tell that he was thinking. "I want to make a deal with you. If you do not tell the hunter about me then I promise not to look for you until you're sixteenth birthday unless you ask me to. I will not try to interrupt your life unless you are in danger, and I will not personally interact with you."

I stared at him for a moment, debating the proposition. This could either be to two extremes: either I wouldn't tell Sirius and that would waste time that Sirius could have spent helping me prepare, or I would be able to buy time in order to keep him away from me. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take the deal. I wasn't even sure that I would have ever even told Sirius because I had no idea what his reaction would be like. I knew that he wouldn't turn me into the Ministry. That wasn't like him. He would never in a million years do that.

What if he shunned me, though? What if I told him, and he didn't want to help me? What if he kicked me out and left me to fend off this vampire by myself? There was a chance that he wouldn't even see me as human. Sirius had an obsession with hating vampires; it was almost his whole life. Sirius had acted like the blond ministry worker's bitch, so how much did I really know about him?

This was stupid; I was acting as though Sirius was someone that I knew he wasn't. My godfather was a great guy and something had probably just happened to him to make him afraid of a stupid ministry person. I was being the douchebag; something was probably wrong with Sirius and I was acting like _this_.

There was another thing that was really bothering me about the situation, though. When the vampire had spoken of the hunter that I knew he said 'he', when I had gone out my way to say 'they'.

My heart skipped a beat. How would the bastard know that I was talking about a guy if he didn't...? My thought train broke off and my breathing grew slightly erratic.

Oh god, I felt like puking. How much did this vampire know already? He must know who _I_am if he knows who Sirius is.

He could come and get me whenever he wanted...

The thought made my head pound and everything seemed to make more sense. That letter I got a while ago... he must have sent it, and the Ministry must have come to Hogwarts because they knew a vampire was hanging around. The bastard must have been trying to make me believe that he didn't know who I was, so that my guard would stay down until he could...

Oh Merlin.

There was only one option that I knew I could take, I had to say yes to the deal he proposed. That was the only way that I could buy time until I realized whom this guy was, where he was staying, and how to fight him. At least, as long as he thought my guard was down, his would be as well. Thank god for his confidence in himself, he wouldn't expect that I knew.

I sighed and looked back at the man with new eyes. "If I agree to this then how will I know that you will keep your side of the bargain?" My eyes were narrowed and I crossed my arms, accusation clear in my voice. There was no way that I was going to blindly trust the bastard.

The vampire's face lit up in a smile and he replied lightly "Our bond will hold us to our word. As long as we have the connection, we cannot break a promise to each other."

I nodded. He wouldn't lie about this, because if it _didn't_actually hold me to my word then I could easily tell Sirius. Wait, what if he was only saying this to make me think that we were both bonded, so I wouldn't tell Sirius and he would be free to abduct me whenever he pleased? There was no way of truly knowing he was telling the truth unless I had concrete evidence that this bond will sufficiently hold the bastard to his word.

"Give me evidence of this and I might agree," I stated reasonably.

The man wasn't fazed by my attitude; he just nodded and replied, "If you can get your hands on any dark books about vampires, then I am sure you will be able to read about this."

I nodded, knowing that my best bet of finding one of these books would be the restricted section of the library. I had found other books but they were only ones that Riddle had lent me. Riddle! He obviously had more books on vampires and darker ones too. It would be too easy to tell him that I wanted to find as much as I could on vampire mates and I needed his darker books on bonds.

I nodded in agreement and replied, "I'll look."

The man smiled softly, "I will initiate another meeting in another few days to a week so you have time."

I sighed and shook my head in fatigue, "You really have caused me a lot of trouble. It would be so much easier if you would just go and bond with someone else."

He smiled in amusement, "Sometimes I think the same." His eyes raked over my face hungrily for another moment before he continued, "you are tired. Your mind needs rest as much as your body and I'm afraid that I took up most of your night. My apologies."

I rolled my eyes. "We both know that you could care less, vampire."

With that, darkness began at the corner of my eyes before it began to take up my entire field of vision. I grew dizzy and knew that I was falling asleep out of this dream. I sighed and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to take me.

**!1!**

**Harry's POV**

Days had passed by, and Ron still hadn't woken up.

I was allowed to visit him in the hospital once; I had gone with Ginny and her twin brothers. We were allowed to use Dumbledore's floo to get there, where we met Ron's parents and older brother Bill in the lobby. The visit had been short, considering it was right after I was done my classes; we only stayed for an hour or so.

Most of that hour was spent waiting outside the door as Molly Weasley wept. We'd let her and her husband have some privacy to sit with their son, considering they didn't get to see him as much as we did while he was at the hospital wing in Hogwarts. Molly looked horrible: her skin was pale and she didn't smile once for the hour I was there.

Arthur was obviously in pain, considering the tight grimace that he always wore, but he tried hard to hide it so as not to upset his wife any further. They had been worried ever since the attack at Hogsmeade. A second attack the day after Ron fainted convinced Molly that it must have been vampires that had hurt him in the first place.

Ron didn't look sick, only like he was sleeping, which I suppose he was. The healers had said it was a shock-induced coma, which I had never heard of and wasn't even sure was possible. What could scare someone badly enough to send them into a coma? Nothing around Hogwarts, for sure.

The visit was short, and after about half an hour sitting by Ron's bedside I had to reluctantly leave. Ron was my best friend and I couldn't fail him like I did Hermione. I knew that there was something that I could do, so I started look up conditions like Ron's but had no luck with it. Whatever ailment Ron had was unique. I spent so much of my time focusing on Ron's illness that I neglected to look up the vampire's idea.

The past few weeks had been horrible for me.

The Gryffindor/Slytherin match was coming up soon so practices were almost every night. I had tried to talk to Riddle about his progress but I hadn't seen him outside of classes, I had started to wonder if he was avoiding me, but I pushed the matter from my mind. Maybe if I studied enough I could help Ron, which was the hope that kept me going.

I hadn't been spending much time with Draco either, always opting to head for the library whenever Draco tried to drag me off somewhere. I wasn't in the mood for Draco lately, and I wasn't sure why, though it was probably due to stress. Before I had usually met up with Draco every few days... but I hadn't talked to him in about two weeks.

I couldn't avoid Draco forever though; he had tracked me down Friday night while I was sitting in the back of the ancient history section, looking up any kind of case similar to Ron's. I wasn't having much luck and was ridiculously frustrated.

Draco came over and found me with a slammed-closed book on my desk and my head in my hands. I had heard him walking around, looking for me but assumed it was another first year that had gotten lost in the library. I hate first years; they were irritatingly stupid 90% of the time. After all, how could someone get lost in a library?

I didn't raise my head as Draco sat down, hoping that if I couldn't see him then he couldn't see me... that worked out about as well as it sounded it would.

"I've been looking for you," The blond boy said softly as he moved his chair closer to mine.

I nodded and raised my hands up to look at the blond before me. He really was gorgeous; his skin was pearly white and always seemed to glimmer, while his hair was as pale as snow. His eyes were like mercury, and you could tell that he would belong to the Bellezza clan if he decided to change. No normal human could be that beautiful.

"Well, I guess you found me didn't you?" I grinned sarcastically and stretched my arms above my head, yawning. It was the evening and we'd have to leave soon if we wanted to be back before curfew.

God forbid we break a glorious rule set up by a vengeful squib.

Draco smiled back softly and took my hand in his, rubbing soft circles with the pad of his thumb. "I wanted to talk to you, to see how you've been doing. So much had happened in the last two weeks and I wanted to know how you've been managing."

I shrugged and smiled at the gentle contact. My favorite thing about Draco was how he could touch me so gently without expecting any kind of sexual contact; he just wanted to comfort me. Warmth spread into my limbs and I smiled, leaning in for a kiss, not caring that we were in public; everyone else would have been in their common rooms now anyways, and definitely not this far back in the library.

Draco leant in and gently pressed his lips to mine, pulling my hand around his neck as he grabbed my tie and pulled me closer. He was really warm, just like he always was. The kiss was really nice, it was soft and hot and comforting. I hadn't noticed how much I missed this contact until I finally felt it again. It was like a warm summer breeze.

I wasn't worried about anyone seeing us. It was impossible for someone to come and for us to not hear them. The giant room was silent and empty and the slightest noise made an echo, so we would hear footsteps easily, and if I didn't then Draco definitely would.

We broke apart for air and I pressed my forehead against his, "I've missed you, Draco. I am sorry for being so distant lately. It's just hard. Hermione is gone and Ron is in a coma, and I can't do a damn thing to help them despite all my trying." I beckoned to the large book that was sitting forgotten in front of me, entitled_"Most Obscure Illnesses"_.

It had been less than helpful.

Draco's arms went around my waist as he pulled me closer, "Baby, you should have told me; I would have helped you. I still can help now, though." He laid his head against my shoulder and kissed my neck. "Although I think you've had enough studying for today." He began peppering my neck with kisses and grazed his teeth against my jugular.

"I just... want to talk for a bit, Draco." I sighed and pulled away slightly and grinned at the pout he shot me. His hair was ruffled, and he looked like a child who had lost one of his Christmas presents.

We never talked, though, and I now felt the need to. We mainly spent most of our time snogging each other senseless before simply holding each other. I didn't know that much about Draco, the more that I thought about it, and I really wanted to. He was my boyfriend, and I wanted more out of our relationship.

Draco grinned up at me and nodded, "okay. Well... what would you like to know?"

"Why did you hate me so much when I first met you?" I asked softly, leaning back in my chair. It was a question that had always burned in the back of my mind, but I was always too hesitant to ask, never wanting to bring up something that would make Draco uncomfortable. I thought I deserved to know now, though.

Draco paused for a moment, his gray eyes searching mine for a moment before he took a deep breath and replied, "It really had nothing to do with you, Harry, honestly. It mainly was because of Sirius." He stopped for a moment and smiled reassuringly before finishing, "My father always spoke of Sirius and how the man was the bane of his existence. Sirius is a hunter... a very good one at that, famous for being so good. I think that my father is scared of him. it seems as though Sirius has a personal vendetta against him.

"So naturally," he continued, "I would hate you as well. You were Sirius's godson; it seemed to me that it was my duty to hate you." The blond leaned forward in his chair and bit his lip, staring at me intently.

I nodded and took one of his hands in my own. My forehead was creased in thought and I said quietly, "Sirius tried to kill your father?"

Would Draco hate me forever if my godfather killed Lucius? The thought made my stomach twist and I frowned, searching Draco's face for any signs of anger on his face.

Draco squeezed my hand and looked down, "Yes... I don't care though, Harry. If Sirius does succeed in...Well, if he ever does succeed then I will be glad, Harry."

My eyes widened and I recoiled slightly, regarding the blond with confusion. "You'll be _glad_? What are you playing at, Malfoy?"

Draco never let go of my hand and shook his head. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that..." He sighed, "I meant that I would not be too upset. Harry, Lucius is not like a father to me, and never has been. All he wants from me is a powerful heir one day, not a son. I don't want what he wants, but he won't accept that."

"That doesn't mean you should want him dead," I frowned back, leaning away from him.

"I don't want him dead," Draco amended, "it's complicated, Harry. I just mean that I want him to stop trying to control my life. We want separate things with my future, and he would never accept that. I don't want to be a vampire like he wants me to."

I nodded and smiled softly, "Well, what do you want to do with your future?"

His face softened automatically, and he leaned in so he could whisper in my ear, "I want to be human and with you forever." His soft blond hair tickled my cheek, and warm breath blew into my ear. His voice was like honey, and I couldn't help but smile and wrap my arms around his neck, holding him in a tight embrace.

I felt happiness bubble in my chest, and I leant in so my lips were millimeters away from his, "I think that can be arranged." I grinned as I pressed my lips gently against his. I could help how much I loved him at the moment, knowing that he would disregard his father's wishes all for me. I felt loved and cherished and _wanted_all at once.

It was an amazing feeling.

Draco grinned back and wrapped his arms tightly around me, kissing me back with fervor. I could feel how happy he was through his touches and I couldn't help but love him even more.

That was until a pang hit my chest and I remembered the vampire from my dreams. He knew who I was, he knew where I was, and chances were the vampire knew about Draco. The vampire could hurt Draco whenever he wanted... _oh __Merlin. _I felt like puking and tightened my hold against Draco, but pulled my lips away from his.

Draco frowned and looked at me, "Did I do something wrong, Harry?"

I shook my head fervently, "No, of course not Draco! I need to talk to you though, this is important. You're in danger because of me, there is someone out there that will want to hurt you-"

"Isn't it a little late to be in the library, Mr Malfoy...Potter?" I paused, recognizing the silky voice automatically. I turned to see Riddle standing behind us... he didn't look normal though. His skin was pale like the moon and his eyes were in fire. His stance was rigid and he was staring at us like a pack of rabid wolves might look upon a hurt rabbit.

That was the first moment in my entire life that I was ever afraid of Tom Riddle... but I was scared out of my mind.

The sapphire-eyed man was oozing anger and I could see him shudder every once in a while. Something had just happened to him that had infuriated the man to the point of near-insanity. I had never seen a person this furious, and I couldn't imagine what had happened to the man to make him so... savage, but it must have been horrible.

Draco was the first to answer, but his voice was soft and broke every few words, "We were just heading back to our common rooms, Sir." Draco's eyes were downcast, but he never let go of my hand, his grip like a viper's.

Riddle's eyes bore into him and his voice was low as he hissed, "Detention, Mr. Malfoy, for disrespecting school rules. If I catch you again I will give you another week's worth... with me." His voice was deadly and utterly serious.

Draco nodded and slowly rose. Without sparing a glance at Riddle, I stood, intending to follow Draco back out. I still needed to speak with him and there was no way in hell I was going to be left alone with a psycho-crazy Riddle. Draco squeezed my hand, seemingly relieved that I wanted to go with him instead of staying.

Internally, I was freaking out; I wasn't sure how Riddle had gotten here. There was no way that he could have come without us hearing him. It was as though he had flown to us, which was obviously impossible. I had no idea how the bastard had even known that we would be there. The library was massive; he must have spent all evening walking around looking for kids. That seemed unrealistic, though; there was no plausible reason for why he was here.

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Potter?" Riddle's voice was soft and I almost didn't hear him, though it was so charged with emotion that I couldn't help but stop. It was a command and I simply couldn't move my feet to carry me out with Draco. The blond shot me a worried glance as we both turned around to look at the irate man.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to look the man in the eye and replied, "I am walking Draco back to his common room." My voice was not as confident as I would have liked it to be, but under the circumstances I felt that I sounded relatively defiant. I was ashamed at myself; I was Harry bloody Potter! I shouldn't be afraid of Tom Riddle. That was like a dog being afraid of a cat - it was absolutely stupid.

"No, you are not. You are putting your numerous pile of books away while _I_escort Mr. Malfoy back to his common room." Riddle's eyes cut into me severely, like a knife slowly being stabbed into my chest. It was as though the bastard was daring me to argue with him, knowing that I wouldn't be able to win no matter how hard I tried. I didn't understand how the idiot didn't already realize that by giving me that look, he made me _want_to argue with him even more.

I took a step forward, hands on my hips, eyes narrowed, and ready to tell the bastard where I'd shove my 'numerous pile of books' if he kept assuming that he could order me around, but Draco grabbed my arm and hauled me back. The blond shot me an unimpressed look before looking at Riddle. "Of course, Professor."

I looked up at him, hoping that he didn't really expect me to just listen to this douche without even putting up a fight. I searched Draco's cold eyes for anything, but found only resignation. Sighing, I nodded, "whatever." In a lower voice, I whispered in Draco's dear, "I'll talk to you tomorrow... take care." I gave Draco an apathetic look before I trudged back over to my table, not letting my eyes stray from the two men as they strolled away.

Riddle gave me one last look before following Draco. It wasn't an angry expression. His sapphire eyes had softened as he gave me a quick nod.

I bit my lip, fear pouring into my chest at the thought of Draco being alone with Riddle. The blue-eyed man was obviously furious and unstable at the moment, so there was a really good chance that Riddle would hurt Draco. If he was able to attack Dean so callously while he was in a good mood, then who the hell knows what he'd do to Draco when he was in a bad one?

I couldn't let Riddle be alone with Drake; I'd be a horrible boyfriend if I let that happen.

I shoved schoolbooks into my bag and followed them, leaving all of the books that I had been reading where they were. After all, we had a librarian, and that's what they were paid to do; clean up the shit I didn't want to.

I quickly followed the two men, mainly following the noises. I could only hear Draco's though, as though the blond was walking alone - which I knew he wasn't. His strides sounded almost as though he was running... running away from the bastard following him. I frowned and hurried, hearing the door to the library open and close quickly, and started to run.

**!2!**

**Voldemort/Riddle's POV**

He shoved the stupid blond boy forward a few times, trying to keep up his pace. The foolish boy was a half vampire, and still he stumbled and couldn't keep a steady stride; it was an embarrassment to his father and his pristine lineage. Draco Malfoy was completely undignified and clumsy, and he made it extremely difficult for them to lose Harry, who was following them rather swiftly.

Riddle sighed and glared down at the idiot he was dragging away. He knew what he had to do; he had to get this... filth away from his Harry, but he had promised the emerald-eyed beauty not to hurt him in any way, so he couldn't kill the blond. Furthermore, if he did anything outright to sabotage Harry's relationship, then the teen would hate him forever. He had to try and earn his love's trust, both as Riddle and Voldemort. It was only then that Harry would love him entirely.

Riddle had other ways, however, that he could end Harry's..._fling_with Malfoy. He could kill two birds with one stone: get Harry to hate the foolish blond for ending their relationship, and earn Harry's affection by loving him back when Harry learned that Draco never could. It was perfect, and it would end up with Malfoy being heartbroken.

Riddle knew that Draco would never break up with someone he loved as much as Harry... and Malfoy wouldn't even have to break up with Harry. He just had to cheat with someone, which would lose him Harry's loyalty and trust all in one blow.

He had to find someone for Draco to sleep with, and Riddle knew that they'd have to be smart enough to not fuck it up. This was a game with Harry's emotions, which was a prize that should be handled with as much care as someone would handle a bubble. There was only one person he trusted to handle Harry's emotions.

Himself.

Riddle shuddered in disgust as he pulled the blond through the corridors, knowing that he had lost Harry. His Harry was extremely fast (something he was immensely proud of) but he could never catch up with them if Riddle didn't will it.

Riddle braced himself to do something that felt like the worst thing he had ever done. He wouldn't do anything with the boy... for now. He'd just have to feed the seeds of attraction in Draco that Riddle knew he already harbored.

Tom knew that once he went through with this, Draco would crush Harry enough that Harry would be running straight back to _him_.

Riddle sighed and closed his eyes, imagining his Harry standing beside him with a healed bite wound on his neck that matched one on his own... their own personal marks branding the two of them together. They would be standing on a throne of defeated Wizards as they ruled their army together. Harry would be beautiful as a vampire, maybe even more gorgeous than he already was.

Harry would have lips as red as blood, and eyes just as green as they are now but with a permanent hunger for his Mate there. Riddle would miss the human version of his love but it would only serve as a reminder of what Harry wasn't meant to be. The beauty was meant to be beside him, forever.

And he would be, as Tom would tear down everything that kept them apart, no matter who it was.

Riddle sighed as he prepared to discreetly hurt his love. There was no other way; Harry wouldn't be able to see reason if the blond remained, and Riddle was being merciful by allowing him to live.

**!3!**

**Draco's POV**

Draco arrived at the Slytherin entrance and was prepared to go in when he heard professor Riddle call his name softly.

He turned around to see his teacher with a cruel grin on his face and a murderous gleam in his eye.

It was at that moment that Draco realized he was going to die.

The sapphire-eyed man took a few steps forward so he was less than a foot away from Draco. Frost seemed to radiate off of him and he smelled like death, his eyes were dark and Draco suddenly realized that he'd forgotten the man was a vampire who was fully capable of doing whatever he wanted to Draco.

His eyes widened and he took a step back, pressing his back against the wall and glaring as best he could at his horrifying teacher, "My father is more important than you realize." Draco blurted out the words and licked his lips after, sadly so lost in the other man's eyes that he didn't realize that Riddle had taken a step forward.

Riddle's eyes were mesmerizing to Draco, and the man grew more attractive by the second, much to Draco's discomfort. He tried to picture Harry's face but it just wouldn't work, all he could see was the intense blue of Riddle's eyes, and he knew he was lost. He couldn't find his way out, and all he could do when the man leant in even closer was shudder.

"I didn't like seeing you with Potter, Draco," Riddle's moist breath blew across his face like an arctic breeze and Draco could feel himself shudder uncontrollably.

Draco didn't even notice as Riddle pulled away and left. He was still lost in Riddle's eyes as he leant against the wall, trying to remember where he was.

**!3!**

**Harry's POV**

I looked for Draco and Riddle for the next hour but couldn't find a trace of either of them. I suppose that was a good thing: it meant that Draco wasn't dead on the floor somewhere. I hadn't heard any screams either, so that was also a plus. I hadn't really thought that Riddle would actually _just_walk him back to the Slytherin common room... so I was glad to find out that he actually had.

I looked for Draco the next day but only saw a flash of him during breakfast, during which he gave me a small smile that put all my incessant worries to rest. I guess I was overprotective of him, but I couldn't help it. I had good reason to be nervous around Riddle due to his history; if you let your guard down around him, he'd stab you in the back.

I didn't have any classes with Draco that day.

It was a pretty horrible day all in all, though. Without Ron or Hermione I felt completely alone. I daydreamed in class because Hermione wasn't there to smack me and wake me up. I sat alone, not talking because there was only one person that I felt like talking to, and it was Ron. I read as much as I could about illnesses, trusting that Riddle was looking up how to save 'Mione.

A lot of girls kept trying to talk to me, trying to sit on my lap or play with my hair or arms as they told me how horrible they felt for my loss, and that they'd keep me company if I felt lonely. I promptly informed them that I'd rather chew a pinecone than spend time with them. Yeah, it was harsh, but I was depressed and worried.

I kept my eye out for anyone acting suspiciously. The vampire was out there somewhere, and could be watching me whenever so I would have to keep my guard up. I made sure that whenever I tried to look out for the vampire, I did so inconspicuously. I had to be sure that he felt no need to put his guard up.

I tried looking for anyone who was unnaturally gorgeous, fast, strong, or staring at me obsessively. I doubted that I'd be able to find the vampire, but I knew I had to try. I had a lot of time on my hands, which I definitely wasn't happy about.

It was Monday night when I finally got a note from Riddle saying that he wanted to see me in his office. I was happy to receive his note; it meant that he had found a way to help 'Mione. I couldn't help my excitement. I was finally doing something to help my friend, even if it was Riddle who was helping me.

**End of chapter.**

This was my longest chapter yet! I didn't take months to write it either which is a plus. Let me know what you guys think.

**LeArtimis 1234 **pointed out something in their review that I had forgotten to mention. Voldemort and Tom are not separate entities, but when He is pretending to be Riddle I say that it is 'Riddle's POV'. Feel free to ask if you don't fully comprehend this.

**!A FEW PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED SOMETHING IN THEIR REVIEW THAT REALLY INTERESTED ME. I had never considered this idea before, but the more I think about it, the more interesting it sounds. So I really need you guys to tell me what you guys would think of a threesome between Harry/Tom/Draco? I am not sure how I could fit in into this story, but I'm always open to creative, new ideas. !**

And thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: .Placeholder. She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New world, New hopes**.**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH.


	8. Moving On

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.**

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_this one ;) ), Severus... (this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.**

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV.**

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**Words in this chapter: **9,042

**Pages:**17

**Chapter eight- **Moving on

"Feelings change, memories don't."

**Hermione's POV**

The room Hermione Granger was in was cold, but it was a far shot better than the prison she'd been locked in before.

She didn't know exactly where she was - Snape had said she was somewhere in Scotland, but far out of the way of any wizards. It had been about a week since she had been saved from Hogwarts, when she had finally lost every trace of the trance she'd been under, and the impact of everything had begun to really hit her.

The cottage that Snape had taken her to was small and deep in the woods. From Hermione's view out of the window, it was extremely dense, and it would take ages for anyone to find them if they didn't already know where the cottage was. Snape had mentioned that she wasn't allowed to leave the cottage and venture into the surrounding forest, that there were scary...things (what kind of things, she didn't want to even ask) in it and were only held away by the cottage's wards around the perimeter. It was said while she was in her drug-induced state, but it had stuck in her mind.

Hermione spent most of her time sipping tea and staring out the window, trying to while away the hours, as the affects of the trance wore off. It was only recently that she had begun to have clear thoughts, and she had been thinking a lot. Hermione wanted answers but Snape wasn't there very often; he stocked the cupboards with food and left books on the table, but that was it. He came to check on her occasionally, but not often.

Hermione thought about her soul mate and Blaise... would he come to find her? She had been obsessed with her soul mate since Blaise had first told her about him but she had known before that. She had always felt something was different about her since she was younger. When she had gotten her Hogwarts letter, the witch had assumed it was just that she was magical, and that had left her relieved; after all, any witch living with muggles would obviously feel like an outsider.

Her feelings didn't change when she got to Hogwarts, though, once she was among other wizards. Hermione had always felt a wall of separation between her and others, but she couldn't describe what set her apart. Yes, she was smarter than average but that was only due to the fact that she threw herself into books to try and ignore the fact that she was different.

It was in her third year that she felt it. In the back of her mind she could feel something growing stronger. It was like a gentle breeze at first that brushed against her mind, calming her whenever she felt too stressed, but it became more than that. She had tried to understand it more, thinking it was untapped power at first but the more she tried to discover what it was, the more she merged with it.

It had taken Hermione a while, but she learned that it was another person's mind.

She researched as much as she could. It scared her to death, not knowing what it was. She thought it could have been someone constantly performing legilimency on her, but one needed eye contact to do that, and the presence was there even when no one was watching her. She had even wondered if she was under some kind of imperious curse, but she wouldn't be able to think if that were the case.

By the end of Hermione's third year, she had become desperate. The presence in her mind was becoming stronger than ever and she had to understand why it was there in order to protect herself against it, should she need to. She wasn't one to lie, but she had told professor Hagrid that she wanted to look up dark creatures for an essay on how they were different from light creatures, all so he would grant her permission for the restricted section of the library. He gave it to her without wondering why she was asking him.

It had taken her only two weeks to come up with two hypotheses. Either someone had cast a charm on her to make her feel as though there was another presence in her mind, or something that she had thought was much worse... she had a connection to a vampire. She didn't understand anything about what the connection could be, only that her life was somehow tied to a monster.

She chose to believe her first option.

Things had changed after that though, and it seemed like she was the only one who sensed it. She began seeing everything in a new light, especially people. It started out only slightly: people would laugh at things that she didn't find funny or they would be sad about something she couldn't sympathize with. Peers became more of a mystery to her, and she became much more secluded. She tried turning to her friends, but things just weren't the same anymore. Harry seemed sane occasionally, but when there were other people around, he would behave just like every other wizard.

When Hermione returned home to her parents, they were even worse than wizards. She couldn't have a conversation without wanting to rip out her hair; it felt like she was trying to speak to children. She spent most of her time alone reading, and eventually she became lonely. She just didn't fit in with muggles anymore, couldn't handle being near them, and couldn't bring herself to feel bad. She didn't know what had changed until she asked Blaise about it later on, and he had said that once she became aware of the presence of the bond, she started to think more like a vampire.

Going back to Hogwarts in her fourth year hadn't helped much, as she still felt like an outsider. She lost most of her respect for almost every teacher as well, save for Professors Riddle and Snape, who were more intelligent than the rest. School had become a breeze for her as well and she couldn't focus in classes, as the material seemed easier than ever.

The loneliness she had felt was becoming overwhelming; she could talk to Harry when they were alone, but that was it. She therefore decided that she had to figure out what was wrong with her, so she turned to books on the matter.

It wasn't long before she had come to the conclusion that she must have a bond with a vampire - and not just any kind of bond, she was the life mate of one. She couldn't find much detail on it, but she had until her sixteenth birthday before the bond evolved enough that the vampire could discern her identity. The revelation was shocking but she couldn't help but feel... eager.

Her life had changed and she wasn't meant to be where she was any longer._That_had become abundantly clear to her. Maybe, Hermione had thought, she would be happier living amongst vampires. It was a crazy thought, but as she became lonelier and lonelier, she considered it more. It wasn't as though she would be forced to live with many of them; one of the few details about the bond she could find was that vampires liked to live with their mate in seclusion. The book said it was out of jealousy.

So when Blaise first approached her, she was excited. She'd had time to ponder the idea, and came to the conclusion that she wanted it. Talking to Blaise had been wonderful: he was the first sane person that she had spoken to in a while, and it was nice.

She had gotten so excited about having a mate after a while and began to look forward to the day she could be with her Mate, wishing that she could sooner but Blaise had said that her Mate didn't believe in that. When you meet your mate, they bite you and her Mate couldn't do that until she was of age in vampire society.

Hermione respected her mate's wishes but she wasn't turning sixteen for months and the wait was getting harder each day that passed. She spent a lot of time with Blaise when she knew no one would notice which had gotten easier the past month or two because Harry was... distracted. By what? She couldn't say but she was entirely complaining, whatever it was had made her friend more tolerable than ever before.

Ron had left her alone a bit more as well. He had been trying to get her to like him, she knew. He had clung to her like a kid until he finally asked her out. She said yes out of the hope that she would get some time alone after that and she did. Hermione kissed Ron once and it was the worst experience of her life yet, she had to puke up her lunch after. She couldn't stand the sight of him after that…it was a relief when she finally broke up with him.

Hermione tried not to think of her situation too much, but now that her mind was clear, she had to decide what she would do next. She couldn't go back to Hogwarts or her parents; the Ministry would be able to find her there easily. She had no money to leave the country with, and even if she did, she was a fifteen year old girl and wasn't old enough to work. She wasn't sure how long Snape would allow her to stay, and she sure as hell didn't want to wear out her welcome.

She wasn't sure about anything when it came to her ex-potions professor. It was shocking enough finding out that he was a vampire, but she really couldn't understand why he would save her. She hadn't had the chance to speak with him but was determined to seek answers out now.

That was why she was in his sitting room/kitchen, sipping tea, staring out the window into the woods. Hermione thought she could see shadows moving withinthe dense tree line but it was too dark to see. Even during the day, it seemed to be night in the forest. She could see why a vampire would choose to live in a place like this.

The strange thing was that it didn't look like Snape ever lived here, Hermione thought as she took another sip of her bitter tea. Everything was covered in dust when she arrived and while she thought he could just live there during the summer, the tiny cottage only had only a few rooms, and none had a bed in it. Snape had conjured one for her to sleep in. That was assuming that vampires slept, she had no clue if they did or not.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard the door shut softly. Turning around, Hermione saw Snape walking into the room. His hair was completely sticking up and his robes were tussled. He still looked just as handsome as a vampire should though…the thought surprised Hermione, and she chastised herself for thinking it.

She set her tea down and nodded, "Hello."

The dark haired man took his time taking off his cloak and hanging it on a hanger before he took a seat in front of her. "I see you are feeling much better." He didn't look at her, rummaging instead through a series of papers in his hands. His tone was brisk.

Hermione nodded and took another sip of her tea. "It's taken a while for the drug to wear off. They gave me an extremely large dosage. It thankfully didn't give me permanent damage, but I'm sure they wouldn't have cared if it did." Her tone was bitter and she frowned into her tea, wishing her words weren't true.

Snape looked up from his papers and gave her an amused smirk, his eyebrows raised. "I'm sure that they had worse things in mind about what they would do to you, Granger. You got off shockingly lucky. I wouldn't have been surprised if they gave you a Draught of Living Death, but then again, Bonaccord_is_ a bloody coward and afraid that vampires would target him more than they already do if he gave you that."

She tilted an eyebrow. "You know him?"

Snape didn't look up from organizing his papers, "Far too well, I'm afraid. I went to school with him and had a few... misunderstandings with him during that time. He has a personal grudge against vampires ever since his seventh year."

Her eyes widened and she leant forward in interest, "Does he know that you are a vampire? What happened to him in his seventh year? She knew that she was probably annoying the older man but she couldn't help herself. The blond man was just so... strange, she was desperate to learn more about him. After all, he was the one who abducted her and planned to kill her.

The black-eyed man took his time replying, carefully sorting through his papers. On second look, Hermione realized that they were newspaper clippings. His voice was tired as he replied. "He has his suspicions but isn't completely certain, though I'm sure that he likes to believe I am. He couldn't report me though, because all the evidence he had is a hunch." He was thoughtful for another minute or so before he replied to the second question, "In Bonaccord's seventh year he was... attacked... by a vampire."

That made sense, Hermione thought reasonably, "So he hates vampires because one had hurt him long ago?" She supplied.

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched in amusement as he shook his head, "Not exactly. Bonaccord was alone on the grounds at night because he had been looking for vampires. There had been a disappearance a few nights prior so he figured that it was a vampire's doing and that they might still be around. So he had cut his own hand and wandered around."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock...that was such a stupid thing to do! The stupid man could have gotten himself killed trying to fight one. _'He sounds like Harry,'_ Hermione thought with a small, soft smile. _'They are both fools.'_ She felt a pang in her chest at the thought of never seeing her friend again. "He thought he could fight a vampire by himself?"

"Close," He sighed as he carefully read through another article, "He wasn't out there to fight a vampire. He... wasn't a normal human. He had developed an obsession with vampires over the years, one that was hard to notice, but once you did it was unbelievably obvious. I noticed after a month of living near him. Bonaccord wanted to be bitten by a vampire... because that was what he found erotic. Only vampire mates and vampire victims find that arousing, or are meant to."

"So he wanted to be bitten... to get pleasure from it?" Her eyes were incredibly wide.

Snape nodded sternly, "He got what he wanted, I suppose. I followed him out that night and saw that, in fact, he did get attacked by a vampire. It went further than the moron first thought though, he expected a vampire to be gentle and loving, I suppose. It must have been a rude awakening when the vampire almost tore his throat out, almost killing him. She had left Bonaccord to bleed to death; I saved him in time though." His tone was smug.

Hermione took another sip of her almost forgotten tea, "He owes you a life debt, then?" She stated in surprise.

He nodded, not saying anything. He crumpled a certain article and threw it into the garbage easily. He seemed as though he was finished talking but she sure as hell wasn't; she still had so many questions left that she needed him to answer. She wouldn't be able to sleep a wink with so many questions flying through her head.

Hermione didn't want to bother him again, but she knew she had to in order to sate her raging curiosity, "Why are you teaching at Hogwarts? How can you handle yourself around so many humans all the time? Do the rest of the staff know what you are? I can't imagine a vampire being allowed to teach human children."

With a sigh, the dark haired man put down his papers and look at her, "I suppose that I am going to have to answer these questions eventually anyway, so I might as well do so now. No, no one knows that I am a vampire. I have hidden my abilities and such behind a lot of glamours. And vampires are not crazed animals who cannot control themselves around humans; the only people we have trouble controlling ourselves around are mates but any vampire powerful enough to have a mate usually has inordinate self control."

He took a deep breath, "As for why I am there. That is a complicated question and one that I am not willing to explain to you. I will merely say that I am there as a... favor... to a ... friend..."

Hermione nodded, not wanting to press the subject anymore. He really didn't seem as though he was willing to speak of it any longer, and she certainly didn't want to push her luck. Her curiosity was horrible, though, as she tried to think of something that he would be doing at Hogwarts. _'Was he a spy?'_The idea struck her mind, but she couldn't imagine it.

There was another, simpler question that had been nagging at her as well. "Why did you save me? You could have easily left me to be imprisoned and not risk yourself. I am grateful, really gratefull, but I am still curious. In the past, you haven't seemed fond of me, so it was strange that you would risk so much for me."

Snape didn't answer automatically. He just kept sorting through his papers silently. After a few minutes he sighed and took out a single sheet from his pile and handed it to her silently. There was a grim expression on his face as he did. She quietly took the sheet from him, curious to what he could he wanted to show her.

What she saw took her breath away.

It was a picture to her surprise but the picture was horrible. It struck her down to her very core, and she felt bile rise in her throat. It was a picture of a young girl – well, it was hard to tell how old she was due to the bloodied hair in her face. She was lying in the middle of a tiny white cell with no doors or windows. She was in a pile of blood that oozed from a wound in her chest. On the back of the picture, there was an elegant scrawl:

"Myrtle (**1)**. Vampire mate captured June 13th, 1943. _You were warned, you did not come. You could have traded your life but chose not to... burn in hell vampire_." She whispered softly, reading the faded ink.

A silence fell over them as Hermione set down the paper so she couldn't see the picture any longer. She felt her stomach flip and wondered if the biscuit she ate a couple of hours before would make another appearance. The image was just so horrific... that the Ministry could do something like that was unbelievable.

"How... How could they do something so horrible?" Hermione asked quietly, tears prickling at her eyes.

A soft sigh escaped Snape and he took the picture back, placing it back in his pile. He looked back at her sympathetically. "The Ministry feels that if they kill the vampire Mate horrifically enough, it will prompt the vampire to commit suicide faster than if they just killed them with the killing curse. They feel as though it will cause the vampire to come looking for revenge, giving them a chance to kill it... Sadly, their hypotheses are typically true." He looked her right in the eye. "I saved you because I couldn't allow that happen to anyone."

The brown haired girl shook her head, not wanting to believe what was right in front of her. "That can't be true though... The Ministry is the good guy... they wouldn't do that, they _can't_do that. That's plain evil. Someone would have to stop them."

Snape's tone was suddenly sharper and his eyes hardened, "You are a part of a new world now, Granger. You cannot live your life believing in good or bad because in the end... there are very few people who are actually good, and they are typically the ones who get killed first. You have to harden yourself - you are not a child any longer. Learn that people really don't give a fuck if they follow the law or not, as long as they have enough power, and those who try and talk to the public end up dead."

Numbly, she nodded and wiped her eyes, "I understand." She truly did but that didn't mean she was happy about it. She almost wished that she could go back to before this happened, when things were less complicated... when she wasn't terrified of the future or whether or not she would _have_one. She used to have a childish way of thinking... and no matter what she was going to have to grow up at some point. It was just hard, now, because she had no one familiar to help her with it.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed now, you've had quite the evening," Snape said roughly, "I will come back Friday evening. Are you okay on your own for two days?" Something told her that if she said she wasn't he still wouldn't come back.

She got to her feet and nodded numbly. She wasn't in the mood to talk any longer and the thought of going to bed was a good one at the moment. Sighing, she quickly drank the last of her tea and cleaned the dish. With a quick nod to her ex potions professor, she quickly ran up to bed.

Her sleep was full of images of a dead girl lying in a pile of blood but instead of Myrtle's face, it was hers.

**!2!**

**Harry's POV**

I was tired.

I was tired of worrying about Hermione.

I was tired of worrying about Ron.

I was tired of being angry at Sirius.

I was tired of worrying about the stupid vampire.

I was tired of pretending that I wasn't tired.

I just wanted things to be back as they should be when things were normal. I wanted Ron, Herm, and I to be like we used to be before Hermione changed and they both got taken away. I wanted things to stop being complicated with Draco, to go back to when we were only together because of sex, really great sex, and we didn't have to worry about feelings. I wanted to return to when I didn't dream of a psychopathic vampire. I wanted to go back to a time when Sirius was my hero.

Most of all, I wanted someone to talk about this with.

I tried not to think about it much, but it was all wearing down on me; the times when I was alone, I could feel it more than others. The time I spent walking down to Riddle's office Tuesday night was spent thinking, and I didn't feel any better after it. The walk was long and I was relieved when I finally got to the dungeons.

Riddle wasn't in his office.

I had come down quickly, wanting to know the progress that the man was making on the Herm issue. If there was anyone that could make progress fast, then I grudgingly knew it was Riddle, so he must have figured something out by now. He had spent more time trying to figure something out for Ron that he had been neglecting Herm a bit, something he felt bad for.

I knocked on Riddle's door once... no answer. That was fine.

I waited. I knocked again... and no answer. Well then, I supposed that I had to take matters into my own hands. I pushed the door open, surprised that the moron hadn't locked it. It was strange that he wasn't here; he had been the one who asked me to come down, why wouldn't he be here?

I stepped into Riddle's office. It was the same as it had always been, but it now seemed so much emptier without him. Before the room seemed interesting, but now it looked like an ordinary room with ordinary furniture, save for the excessive amount of green. It felt colder without Riddle, like it was off-limits. I suppose it was, but this wasn't the first time I went somewhere that I wasn't supposed to be.

Walking into Riddle's office felt like breaking the rules and gave me a thrill. The fireplace was empty and there were no candles lit, so the only light streamed in from a large window overlooking the forest. It was extremely eerie and sent chills down my spine. I wondered for a moment if I should just wait outside the door, but this was probably the only chance that I'd ever get to look around his office.

Riddle was extremely tidy, that became abundantly clear as I neared his desk. Everything was in order and nothing out of place. It was the same throughout the room. Talk about OCD. I couldn't imagine Riddle being messy though; that wouldn't fit in with his 'perfect' facade. My lips turned up at the thought of it.

I sat down in Riddle's overly large chair, putting my feet up on the desk. It was hard as a rock and reminded me of a throne - _of course _the arrogant prick would choose to sit on the closest thing to a throne all day. I scanned his desk for anything personal - letters, pictures, trinkets, etc but found none. It was shockingly bare. Come to think of it, I didn't really know anything about his personal life. He never mentioned having a wife or kids or anything about himself in class. The only thing I really knew was that he used to work for the Ministry.

I opened up a few of his drawers, hoping to find anything interesting but was disappointed to find that he only had marked homework assignments, quills, extra parchment and all of that junk in them. I sighed and got to my feet, and looked around again. Maybe I'd find something horrible and incriminating... something to get him fired.

I walked around the room; all of the green reminded me vaguely of a forest... or puke. Either comparison could be applied. I read a few titles of the books and most of them were related to DADA or dark creatures a few were related to wizard customs as well but not many, his favorites seemed to be about creature. Sadly, nothing to get him sacked.

Riddle's office was actually a little nice... it was peaceful, it that made any sense; I felt calm there in a way that I could compare to my room at home - it was familiar. It was really dark but I didn't have much trouble seeing; I always had pretty good sight. I couldn't imagine Riddle staying in a place that was light and cheery anyway.

I walked around the entire room, gazing at all of the strange trinkets the man had. There were ridiculous instruments that I had never seen before, foreign creatures preserved in jars and even a few pictures of places that I'd never seen. There were many photos of Hogwarts, a strangely large amount of them; I supposed that the prick thought the school was interesting. He was particularly interested in the Gryffindor tower, judging by the high number of pictures of it.

There was one picture that had stood out the most though; well, it was actually a painting. A painting that looked like a picture, though: every detail was perfect, down to the tiniest blade of grass. It depicted a glade full of hills with had a long river flowing through it. There was a Raven that flew above, circling the area. What had caught my attention was how familiar the place was.

There was a sudden dull thud and something moved in the corner of my eye, making me jump in surprise and turn. A cardboard box had fallen off of the shelf behind me, scattering its contents across the floor. I looked up, looking for a reason why it could have fallen so suddenly but couldn't find one. It must have been the breeze, I guess, but there wasn't much of one.

I sighed and strode over; I should pick it up so that when Riddle comes back he wouldn't find it and just assume it was me, which the Bastard probably would. I'd love to leave the mess for the prick to clean up, but a month of detentions didn't seem like my idea of a fun time.

I knelt down and began picking up the paper that had been scattered. Curiously, I held one up and noticed that it was a newspaper article - all of them were. My eyes widened and I squinted at the writing. The headline was easy to read: _"Nocturnal Monsters Leave Village to Burn After Deadly Attack."_The words burned on my tongue.

I looked at the picture to see a few houses drowning in bright crimson waves of fire, there were a few dark figures laying on the ground bathed in flames as well but I really hoped that they weren't what I thought they were, because that would be a horrible way for a person to die. I shut my eyes a put the article down and reached for another, which was more graphic than the last: _Family of five murdered by blood sucking beasts._The picture was of a grim-faced Auror being interviewed.

I scanned the rest of the articles and was shocked to find that they all revolved around vampires and their attacks. Was Riddle some crazy vampire fanatic? I could imagine that he would be interested in dark creatures. I frowned and read through the rest of the headlines:_Young Girl Found Murdered in Local Park Bite, Marks in Neck Were Found. Missing Historian Found Drained of Blood. Mother of Three Fatally Injured After Vampire Attack. _All of the pictures were what you'd assume them to be.

I looked through to see what newspaper they were from but was surprised to see that none of them were from the _Daily Prophet_. In fact, they weren't even printed in Britain.

There was only one article that stood out from the rest and it had no picture to go along with it, _"Vampire ruler's name now discovered."_My eyes widened as I read the title. I never knew that many others knew the king's name. I had only heard Sirius tell me as a joke. I quickly skimmed the article, which detailed how the king has never been sighted before and only spoken about in tales. At the end of the article, as I assumed, it named the king, "Lord Voldemort..."

"The name really sends chills down your spine doesn't it?" A smug, silky voice broke through the silence that had fallen over the room.

I probably jumped at least a foot in the air in surprise, dropping the article that I had been reading while I did. I looked up quickly to see Riddle standing before me, right in front of the window. I paused for a moment when I saw him, his hair was smartly messed and his eyes were burning with the same fire that I had seen the last time I spoke to him.

He was dressed in entirely dark robes that helped to camouflage him in the darkness; he beat Snape when it came to looking like a bat. I couldn't help but feel breathless though, and for some reason it wasn't out of fear. I had entered into his office without him being there and rummaged through his personal things but for some reason, the man didn't look angry at me.

On the contrary, he looked amused.

I looked down and shrugged, putting the pictures back into the box. "Not really. I don't see how a name could be scary."

Riddle smirked and walked over to his desk. Shrugging off his clock, he hung it up on the back of his chair and rubbed the back of his neck, "That's a matter of opinion, I know a fair few wizards who refer to Voldemort as 'You-know-who' or 'The dark lord'." His smirk turned playful, "Or my personal favorite, 'He-who-must-not-be-named'."

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I picked the full box up and set in on the shelf where it had fallen from, "Whoever does that should grow some balls." I knew that I probably shouldn't use language like that around a professor but really, I didn't think about it before I said it. I paused and turned around to give him a strange look, "I take it you're not afraid of the big bad vampire?"

Riddle paused from sorting through his desk to grin at me, "Do I look like the type to be easily intimidated?" No, he most certainly did not, but I wasn't going to tell him that of course. It might inflate his ego to a more ridiculous size than it already was (if possible).

I made my way around his desk to sit in the same spot I sat in last time. I raised an eyebrow and mockingly inspected him, "Well, anyone with such a large collection of stuff on vampires must have one of either three things: a fetish for monsters, a hero complex and a plan to rid the world of vampires, or an overwhelming fear of them. My best bet is that you've the third."

Riddle grinned and leant forward, "So you assume that I'm easily intimidated by vampires? I'm surprised that you hadn't assumed the second option for me in fact." He looked genuinely surprised by this. The dick probably thought he looked tough... well he kind of did... only a little bit though, not enough for him to be cocky about it.

I cocked an eyebrow and shook my head, "You're really not the hero type, Riddle."

"You don't really know much about me, Potter," Riddle smirked back as he scribbled a note on a lose piece of paper. "I don't think that you're in a position to make judgments. For all you know, I could be the wizarding equivalent of superman." His smirk was playful but it didn't quite reach his eyes, which I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking.

Superman was a fictional muggle superhero. I only knew about him because Hermione occasionally made references. I grinned back at him, "You've been my professor for almost six years now... I think I'd know if you had a second identity by now. That's something you don't tend to miss." I crossed my arms and made myself more comfortable.

The sapphire eyed man gave me an odd look, his eyes flashing for a moment before he looked back down and continued scribbling on a piece of parchment, a strange expression remained on his face. "Have you ever thought that maybe you are wrong? You've hated me since your first defense class; I'd like to know what the hell I've done to you."

I really wasn't expecting that.

I stared at him in surprise. Who just came out and asked why someone hated them? That was ridiculously out of character for the prick and once again, he caught me off guard and I had no clue to say to him. How could I say that I just had a... feeling? I couldn't even explain what the feeling was to myself let alone him

Damn, why was the man so... shocking sometimes? Maybe I didn't know him as well as I had first assumed... and that scared the hell out of me. There couldn't be more to Riddle than I first assumed, that would be stupid. The bloody man had just changed lately and I didn't know how to handle it…that was what scared me the most.

It had always been so easy to deal with the Bastard: we'd piss each other off in class, and in the end I'd usually end up with a detention with Filch. This new Riddle was more of... a riddle. See what I did there? I wasn't much of a fan of Riddles.

I didn't say anything; I didn't feel obligated to answer him anyway so I didn't. It wasn't a question that I was willing to answer, so what was the point? I looked away and sighed, "Do you have anything to help Hermione yet? I've been wondering about it all week."

If Riddle was disappointed that I hadn't answered his previous statement then he didn't show it. Actually, his eyes lit up and he beamed at me once again, seemingly forgetting the last discussion we had. "I have news for you, Harry. I am rather surprised that no one has told you so far - it seems like something your godfather would be rather interested in."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion and I frowned, "Yeah? You can let me know any time now."

The man rolled his eyes, "Ms. Granger-Hermione was rescued. Bonaccord has kept it secret until he can get everything under his control again, so barely anyone knows about it who shouldn't."

My heart stopped.

Someone had saved her? A million questions began to circle through my head and I stood up. She was saved! She wasn't going to die! "Who saved her? When did it happen?"

Riddle shrugged, "We don't know who saved her, but whoever it was took her the night of those tests. To answer the rest of your questions, I don't know where they took her or if she's okay or any other question you can think up. You now know as much as I do, and I only know that through connections in the Ministry."

I looked down as my excitement faded slightly. "What if the person who took her plans to hurt her?" The thought made my stomach churn unpleasantly. I was scared for Herm, and now there was really nothing I could do.

The sapphire-eyed man stopped what he was doing and set down his paper. His eyes softened marginally and he sighed, "Listen...If someone wanted her dead, then they would have left her. No one would steal someone else's mate, because then they'd have a very angry, very powerful vampire after him.

I nodded and realized that what he was saying was basic sense. "Then there's only one thing that I have to worry about now, I guess."

Cocking an eyebrow, Riddle replied, "What might that be?"

"Finding her," I stated simply. "Now if you'll excuse me I have other issues that I have to deal with."

Riddle didn't say anything; he just looked up at me with a small smile on his face. He nodded and looked back down at his papers as I left; his face was scrunched up in a frown that didn't seem to suit his face, it was... out of place there.

I shut the door behind me but held onto the handle, not wanting to leave. The thought of going back to the Gryffindor common room left a void in my stomach, and my hand still wouldn't leave the handle. It was like some part of me wanted to stay and continue talking to the bastard behind the door.

I shook my head and purposely let go of the handle and turned away, heading back to Gryffindor with an empty feeling in my chest.

**!3!**

**Harry's POV**

"I think we put the wormwood in first - that's what the textbook says, Harry."

"Neville, it says in the very first sentence that you put the wormwood in last."

"Are you sure? That doesn't seem right."

At the moment, the thought of using the killing curse was appealing. Oh not to use on Neville, but to use on myself. It was last period potions and I had been working with Neville on the same potion for the past two hours and it wasn't going good... if you haven't noticed already. Everyone was ahead of us; we hadn't even added all of the ingredients yet.

I didn't answer Neville; his question was just too stupid. I put in the wormwood and it automatically turned a bright sunshine yellow. I cocked an eyebrow at the boy beside me and smirked, Neville's ears turned automatically red and he muttered an apology quickly. I simply nodded and kept stirring the potion.

No one seemed to be having much success with their potions. The Elixir to Induce Euphoria was an advanced potion and shouldn't have been given to a bunch of fifteen year olds, but I didn't expect any better from Snape at the moment. His mood was becoming increasingly worse each class.

I sneakily cast a glance at the man who was now seated at his desk. His hair was messy, his skin paler than ever. His eyes, typically a regular dark brown, were pitch black. I didn't know what crawled up his arse and died but whatever it was... I pity it. Whoever got Snape in this bad of a mood was definitely going to get in trouble. Damn, the guy wasn't even getting up to mock us on our abysmal attempt at potion making... there really _was_something wrong with him.

"Harry..." Neville's tentative voice broke through my thoughts.

A spike of irritation drove through me and I stopped stirring long enough to shot him an exasperated look, "Yeah Neville?" I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice but I wasn't sure that it worked.

Neville looked down and bit his lip as he replied, "The book says to stir the elixir sixteen times but you stirred it about twenty eight times..." His voice was hesitant as though he thought that I'd snap at him.

Surprise shot through me and I dropped the stick. Oh shit, he was right. The potion had been getting darker and darker with every time I stirred and now it was turning grey. I ruined the potion because I was lost in thoughts... I felt like a douche bag. I looked down at Neville who looked as though he thought he did something wrong by telling me and I automatically felt guilty.

Why am I such a bastard?

"I'm so sorry, Neville. I was just thinking and I didn't notice." I apologized, feeling horrible.

The other boy shrugged. "It's still better than anything that I'd be able to do by myself so don't worry about it." He really didn't seem to mind, I was surprised that he even seemed to notice. Neville's attention kept drifting back to a couple in front of us who were laughing as they threw ingredients at each other.

Lavender and Dean were acting stupid in my opinion, but the jealousy flashing in Neville's eyes clearly showed that he wanted to be the one acting stupid with the blond girl. I was surprised that Neville would go for someone so...ditsy, for lack of a better word. I can't speak for a straight guy, seeing as I'm not one, but if I was then I'd go for someone reasonable like 'Mione.

"Lavender is pretty, isn't she?" I asked Neville softly with a slight smile.

Neville's cheek's lit up like a Christmas tree and I couldn't help but find it adorable. "I guess... if you like blonds with soft hair and light b-blue eyes..." He shrugged and his voice cracked. Then he looked down and scuffed his shoes on the floor, "it doesn't matter though. She's with Dean."

"You like her, don't you?" I asked straightforwardly.

Neville looked down and didn't say anything. His cheeks were still bright red, even though he tried to show nonchalance. That all ended when he cast another look up at the couple and his face fell. "I don't see how anyone couldn't; Harry, but you can't tell anyone okay?"

I pretended to zipper my lips with a smile and shook my head, "I won't tell anyone, Nev, I promise. But..."I paused and looked at the way Dean looked at Parvati's arse when Lavender wasn't looking, "I think you should tell Lavender how you feel. Maybe she feels the same way about you. It's worth a shot, yeah?"

The chestnut haired boy shot a miserable glance at the couple and shook his head, "Thanks for the advice, Harry, but I'm not really the type of guy who... gets the girl. I'm more of the friend type that admires from afar... very afar."

I felt bad for him but I felt even worse when class ended and Snape told everyone that they had to test our one of their potions on our partner. Snape was worse than Riddle! I doubt anyone did their potion right, so there were going to be quite a few people with embarrassing side effects to deal with... like excessive singing, oh the horror!

Neville poured some of the potion into a vial and pursed his lips at it, "I... I'll do it, Harry. I'll just pretend its pineapple juice and it won't be that bad."

I shook my head, "I'm the one who stirred it too many times and messed it up. If either of us is going to drink it, it's going to be me."

Neville sighed and drank the continents quickly before I could finish. His face turned a deep, deep red and he belched. I shook my head, "You shouldn't have done that, I wanted to drink it. Now I probably poisoned you or worse."

The brown eyed boy shook his head and beamed, "Harry I feel fine! Absolutely wonderful! Nothing has ever been better ever!" His eyes were wide and full of excitement.

All around the room people were beginning to act crazily, singing, dancing and doing all sorts of strange things. Snape was walking around inspecting people's cauldrons with a look of disgust on his face. There were a few that he just shook his head at and vanished away too.

I wasn't worried if he looked at ours though.

The potion worked! Holy crap it actually worked! I don't know how I managed to make it work after obviously stirring it too much but I guess that I managed it somehow. I grinned at Neville, so happy that I didn't poison him - that definitely wasn't something I wanted on my conscience. He was completely fine, though! Fine!

Well, Neville _was _fine…until he passed out while babbling about how much he loved his toad.

"Potter, what did you do to him?" Snape growled as he stalked over to inspect.

I knelt down beside Neville and panicky, found a pulse. Thank god I didn't kill him. I looked up at Snape and shook my head, "I didn't do anything to him! He was fine and then just... passed out."

The bat sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Was your potion really that abysmal? This isn't a regular side effect Potter! Take Longbottom up to the hospital wing and I'll see how severely you botched this potion."

Eager to leave and help Neville, I threw and arm around his shoulders and waist and drug him away. He wasn't heavy at all, but I was really strong. I come off as a cocky dirtbag, don't I? I pretty much carried Neville as fast as I could go, he was getting heavier and heavier in my arms. I was really glad that it was Neville I'd almost killed, as opposed to someone like Millicent Bulstrode.

I was walking down a corridor past the dungeons when I heard a door open down the hallway. Instinctually, I looked up and saw Riddle's door open. My heart sped up when I assumed it was Riddle leaving, but instead I saw a pale boy with almost white, blond hair walk out and down the hallway away from me.

Why was Draco in Riddle's office? Shouldn't he be in class?

"Draco!" I called out, hoping I could talk to him for a while.

The blond turned around and saw me and I waved enthusiastically to get him to come with me, I was so happy to see him after a horrible day. My heart sunk when Draco shook his head and turned around, walking back where he was going.

Normally I would have run off after him but that would have been pretty selfish, so I just kept on going. Draco probably just had homework to do or was running an errand for Riddle, nothing to really concern myself over obviously. I never knew that Draco had ever been to Riddle's office before, but it was no big deal, right?

It took me about ten minutes to finally get to the infirmary. The walk took forever, and after a while Neville began to get really heavy. I was the one who poisoned him though, so I owed him, and getting him to the hospital wing as fast as possible was the very least I could do. He was unconscious the entire time so at least he didn't cause me any trouble.

I shoved the doors open, anxious to get help for him. The place was empty except for one person that Madam Pomfrey was leaning over. I couldn't see who it was, but she was probably busy, so I walked over to the nearest bed and set Neville down and sat beside him. He really didn't look that bad, maybe a tad pale but that was it.

"Harry!" I froze.

That voice, it sounded so much... but that was impossible, it couldn't be Ron's. He was in the hospital and in a coma; he wouldn't be here awake in Hogwarts. Slowly, I looked up to see that Madam Pomfrey had moved over to look at Neville.

Ron Weasley was sitting on the bed, wide-awake and beaming.

**End of chapter eight.**

**(1)- Yes that is moaning Myrtle**

**The amount of reviews that I got from you guys for the last chapter was much more than I've ever gotten before. I can't express how grateful I am... but I tried to review at least one of each of your stories (if you had one). I'm so sorry if I missed anyone, just let me know and I'll get right to it. I promise I didn't mean to miss you if I did.**

And thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: .Placeholder. She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New world, New hopes**. ****(And it will be updated again by mid-August)**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH.

**!PLEASE READ THIS! Okay so I got feedback and you guys really don't want it to be a Tom/Harry/Draco fic and I respect that soI am not goingto change it. But while I was writing the potions class scene I got inspired. Would any of you guys read a Snape/Harry/Draco story that was based in Hogwarts? I've been looking for one but have never found one. Do you guys think its a good idea or a bad one? !**

_In the next chapter:_

_~Voldemort shows Harry more about himself._

_~Harry and Ron reacquaint_

_The rest is a surprise ;)_

**Until my next update,**

**Lizzie's Last Night**


	9. When things change

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line.**

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_this one ;) ), Severus... (this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO.**

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV.**

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**Words in this chapter: **9,166

**Pages:**17

**Chapter nine- **When things change

"I think that the only reason people hold onto memories so tight is because memories are the only things that don't change; when everybody else does."

**Harry's POV**

"I just woke up. The medi-witches looked me over countless times but they couldn't figure out what happened to me." Ron's words were soft, his expression tired. Sitting beside me before the lake, he looked like he'd aged twenty years just from the look in his eyes. "I don't know what happened to me either..."

I picked up a large stone from the stony beach and threw it far into the lake, "But you think it has something to do with that woman you saw in the forest before you fainted, right?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. He'd told me about the hag that he'd seen that day weeks ago on the walk down. I wasn't sure that I believed him, though. there was no evidence of a creature like... _that_being anywhere near Hogwarts.

Ron sighed and shook his head, "I don't know, Harry. I don't know anything about what happened that day. I know that you don't believe what I said I saw but I'm not lying to you, I swear. I don't know what any of it means but I think something is about to happen at Hogwarts."

I raised an eyebrow and turned to face him, "Like what?" Ron had been saying this for the past two hours that we had been walking around the grounds, just talking. He was obsessed and I wasn't sure where he was coming from. There had been attacks near Hogwarts, yes, but that didn't mean that vampires were targeting the school.

Why the hell would a group of ancient monsters stalk a school full of stupid kids?

I wasn't sure if I believed Ron that he had actually saw what he said he did. He was my only close mate now and I really didn't want to believe he was lying. My best guess was that he dreamed that he had seen a hag in the woods and genuinely thought it was real; Ron wasn't the type to make something up.

Ron sighed and ran his hands through his hair, clenching fistfuls of it in frustration. "I don't know! I don't know anything Harry! I don't know what was wrong with me and I don't know why I woke up. I have suspicions but I can't say anything for certain. All I know was that Herm was taken, I went out onto the grounds for a walk, and I heard someone screaming..." He sighed and shook his head.

"And that's when you saw the hag?" I filled in, trying my best to keep the disbelief out of my voice.

"And I ran," Ron finished, holding his head down. His voice was soft and he wouldn't look me in the eye. "I had gotten to the courtyard when I felt strange. I felt safe so I looked back and there it was." He shuddered. "It was standing just in the tree line. I didn't know what to do. I passed out a minute or two after." He shrugged and threw a rock into the water. "I woke up in the hospital when my parents were there."

"When we you going to tell the rest of us that you were awake?" I asked, trying to keep the bitter edge out of my voice. The thought that we were left worrying for longer than we needed struck me like a whip and left a cold feeling in my chest.

Ron bit his lip and turned to look at me, "We didn't want to tell you until we were sure that I'd stay awake. I wanted to tell you guys today but the headmaster thought it was a good idea to wait until classes were over today so you wouldn't skip." A smirk overtook his features, "I guess that you found a way around that as usual. Slippery little bastard."

Joy flooded through me and I grinned back at him and shoved him lightly, "Cuss-word using little git." I laughed. It was nice to joke with Ron again - it felt like nothing had happened and I didn't have to worry about finding 'Mione or a crazy blood-sucking monster finding me. Things weren't the same without Hermione but it felt like things were going to be okay again.

Ron threw another stone into the water. "So it's pretty crazy that Riddle was the one to find me and take me to the hospital wing, eh?"

My mood automatically darkened at the mention of Riddle and I frowned, not saying anything.

Ron shot me an exasperated look, "before you ask... no, Riddle didn't have anything to do with what happened, as far as I know." His tone was flat and simple, and it was obvious that he had nothing else to say on the matter. I knew it was Riddle though because there has to be a reason to why Ron fainted and just seeing a Hag wouldn't do anything, if he even _had_seen one.

I didn't say anything back to Ron, knowing that it would just start a fight, and right now I wanted to be as close to him as possible. I looked at him, his face was still tight and I knew that he was thinking about Hermione. I told him about her disappearance when we first started walking and he took the news well.

Ron was nothing if not determined and he took the news that 'Mione was missing with a straight face and a vow to find her. That was one of the things that I liked most about Ron: when he promised something, he would set his heart and soul on keeping it. Finding Herm was important to him. That was clear. She was the love of his life and even if he never mentioned the extent of his love for her, I knew it was intense.

Ron knew that Hermione had a vampire mate but he seemed determined to keep the knowledge in the back of his mind. I didn't want to bring it up and start a row but I knew that Ron and Hermione would never be together – the vampire would kill the red head with ease. I knew that I would have to break the news to Ron at some point but for now I was content in letting him pretend that things could return to normalcy.

I knew I was being a coward but no more than Ron. He wasn't a fool, he just chose to blind himself, so I couldn't force him to see something he wasn't ready to.

"So has Nev told Lavender his feelings yet?" Ron grinned, nudging me out of my thoughts.

I grinned back and laughed, "I swear that boy wouldn't share his feelings if he had a wand held to his head!"

We laughed for a while and just talked like we used to. I filled him in on Quidditch and told him about the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game tonight, which he was angry that he couldn't play in. The conversation was easy and it was nice. It felt like things were going to be okay, something I hadn't felt in weeks.

I had missed the last classes of the day to be with Ron and I really didn't want to leave but I had the Qudditch game that night and had to eat fast so I could make sure I didn't worry the captain too much. Draco was hard to beat as a Seeker; if I wasn't around then Slytherin would be kicking butt, so I had to make sure to be well rested for the game.

I wished that Ron could go to supper with me but he had to go back to the hospital wing for another check up and wouldn't even be able to watch the game tonight. He was bummed but I didn't mind. I was just happy that I got my friend back again.

**!2!**

**Snape's POV**

Severus Snape was a smart man; well he liked to consider himself to be one at least.

So that was why when he first met Tom Riddle, Severus knew the man was a vampire. Riddle's disguise had been unflawed, perfect down to the very cells of his body. Riddle's facade was impeccable as well; he played the part of a loyal ministry employee better than people who actually were. That was how Severus knew Riddle was a vampire, however: he was far too perfect.

Checking Riddle's records left Snape's suspicions proven correct. The man's record was detailed, saying that he had come from Greece and was home schooled and was currently twenty six years old, just a regular man. That was until Severus came across a vampire in Romania four years ago that had his memories removed, who had been looking for someone who could help him get them back. To his luck, Severus was a master Legilimens and that was when everything made sense.

Riddle had stolen the man's identity and his memory as well and had obviously gone to great lengths to hide it. But there was one question that had drilled itself into Severus's mind, 'why do it'? Riddle had spent years in the ministry building up a reputation and then just chose to work at Hogwarts? Snape could understand the vampires wanting an informant inside the ministry and Riddle was in the perfect place to be one, so why throw it away to work at a school?

Severus's first guess was so that he could court certain students into being sympathetic towards vampires and eventually turning the more powerful ones into blood sucking beings as well. Snape then asked another of his kind that he was sure would know more about Riddle, Peverell, the leader of the Velocita clan. The reason why he knew Peverell was a long and complicated one but Severus knew him well. Yet even one of the most important vampires in the world knew nothing about Riddle.

So he could have been a rogue vampire who felt little connection to his clan and was looking to create a family for himself by turning students, but Riddle wasn't insane like other Rogues. Instead, Snape was forced to just observe Riddle quietly, not wanting Riddle to know that he was a vampire as well. Riddle would either try to kill Severus out of territorial issues or he would tell someone of Snape's presence in the school as well. Severus was teaching for a certain reason as well and would be in trouble if word of his presence reached the castle _L'Esistenza Perpetua. _**(1)**

Riddle didn't show much of a preference for any student for his first few years, as far as Severus knew. He had managed to get most of the school to be devoted to him, students and teachers alike, but he didn't talk to anyone more or less than anyone else. There was one aspect about the man that stood out however; he completely and utterly hated Harry Potter.

Severus hadn't thought much about Riddle's hatred for Harry, the boy's arrogance was hard to tolerate for Severus, and Potter didn't talk back to him half as much as he did with Riddle. Harry took a special interest in Riddle, which was understandable to Severus as Riddle was a powerful vampire. Riddle's thrall affected everyone but Potter liked to pretend that he wasn't affected. The boy would get detention with Filch all the time because of Riddle and lost almost as many house points as he won in Quidditch.

Severus had asked Riddle his feelings on Potter once in the staffroom and Riddle hadn't even looked up from his book to reply that, "Potter was a spoiled, unrefined brat who need to be taught some respect before he gets a hex in the back one day." Riddle definitely didn't have any interest in Potter, thank god for the boy.

That was the way Riddle's relationship with Potter had been for the first few years of Harry's time at Hogwarts but then it began to change. It wasn't a noticeable change at first but Potter had begun to get fewer and fewer detentions and had lost less points. Severus had first assumed that Harry had just stopped acting out in class as much but it seemed to be the opposite.

Potter was supposedly worse than ever before, going out of his way to insult Riddle and interrupt the class as much as he possibly could. It made no to sense to Severus. The boy could have possibly been charmed by Riddle but vampire's magic wasn't as strong as a wizard's so he wouldn't be able to cast a charm strong enough to charm someone as powerful as Harry.

That was another problem that stumped Severus.

Riddle was a vampire, there was no doubt in Severus's mind of that, but he was as powerful as any wizard in magic. Riddle's magic was by no means weak; he was one of the strongest wizards to ever teach at Hogwarts that was for sure. Severus first assumed that maybe Riddle was a half vampire and an exceedingly strong one at that. Severus had watched Riddle read once: his eyes had scanned the parchment, seeming to not even see the words, and then he would stop and wait until a reasonable amount of time had passed before turning the page. Riddle read the book too fast to be a half vampire.

Severus had no clue who or what the hell Riddle was and everyday he was running out of more time to figure it out.

Riddle was getting closer to Harry.

It wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but to Severus it was glaringly obvious. Riddle would keep his eyes off of Harry in the Great Hall except for when he was eating. Then he would hold his head down and gaze at Harry through his eyelashes for as long as he could without looking too interested in his food. Riddle would allow other teachers to give Harry detentions with him, and he would volunteer to walk the halls around Gryffindor at night so another teacher wouldn't have to do it.

Others would assume it was just out of Riddle's kindness, but Snape knew better.

Just as Riddle had become closer to Harry, Harry had become closer to Riddle as well. Severus never failed to see Harry's eyes stray to Riddle when he was seated in the great hall. Whenever Harry was laughing with his friends, he would stop and automatically look up at the older man. Snape didn't think Harry did it purposefully, but that was what made it worse. It was as though he was making sure he had Riddle's attention; Harry probably didn't even notice the way his face would fall ever so slightly whenever he saw that Riddle wasn't looking at him.

That was where Harry was wrong, though. There was rarely a time in the Great Hall now when Riddle _wasn't_watching him like a lion protecting its cub.

The day that Severus saw Harry walking down to Riddle's office alone after classes had been a boiling point for him. There was something going on between the two of them, and there was no way in Heaven or Hell that Severus thought it was a good thing. There was a chance that Riddle had slowly been putting Harry under his thrall and was planning to bite him.

He didn't know how far along Riddle was in his plan but it had to stop now. Severus knew he had to tread lightly; Riddle was unbelievably powerful – to a degree that Snape didn't understand. He didn't know the extent of Riddle's power. Hell, he wasn't even sure Riddle even was a vampire. Chances were that if Severus and Riddle got into a fight, Severus would die.

If Riddle figured out that Snape knew about him, then he'd probably kill Severus and have his way with Harry. At the moment, Severus had no clue on what he was going to do to drive Riddle away or kill him but he knew that his best bet was to learn as much as he could about Riddle.

Hell, maybe Severus would even get lucky and there would be a charm that could kill the vampire.

**!3!**

**Harry's POV**

When I had gotten back from seeing Ron, I stepped into the common room and saw a large group of Gryffindors sitting in a circle talking rather loudly. As soon as I stepped through the Fat Lady's portrait, they all went quiet and turned around to stare at me. Ginny, who was sitting in the middle of the room, had red puffy eyes as though she had been crying.

"Uh hey guys, did I suddenly grow three heads since the last time I checked?" I grinned and ran a hand through my hair.

Dean got to his feet and laughed, "Hah, I wish. You could sell the spare two for money." I laughed and he shoved me lightly. His face darkened a bit though and he rubbed the back of his neck, "But Harry, we were wondering if you've seen Ron since he woke up? Ginny said her parents told her that he was rambling about seeing a monster."

I mentally sighed. I was really hoping that what Ron thought he saw wouldn't get out, it really made Ron seem like he'd gone crazy. I nodded, "Yeah I just saw him. As for the monster thing... he said that he really doesn't know what he saw or if he had even saw anything at all, he didn't say anything definite."

I was really hoping that I could make Ron seem as sane as possible but I wasn't sure what I could say because Ron really _did_believe that he saw. Dean frowned and nodded, sitting back down.

"So_did_he see a vampire in the woods?" Lavender rose to her feet and frowned; her voice wavered slightly in fear at the thought of vampires on school grounds.

I laughed and shook my head, "Do you really think a vampire could get onto Hogwarts grounds and not be noticed?" I didn't know the answer to my own question, really, but I didn't want to cause unnecessary stress especially if they would go and interrogate Ron for answers. "I think a blood sucking monster would stand out a bit."

"Weasley's lying then, looking for attention. What else is new?" Seamus put in with a sneer.

No one spoke or a moment as the accusation sunk in. Seamus always was a tosser, but this was really taking it too far. Ron may have been imagining it, but he was obviously not lying. I sent a glare at the Irish bighead and opened my mouth to tell him off but was beat to the punch.

"Shut up. Ron wouldn't lie and you know that, Seamus!" Ginny fumed as he got to her feet and marched over to the other boy. Her face was bright red as she continued, "You are just trying to start drama, like always, because no one likes you."

Dean walked over to the two who were glaring daggers at each other and put a hand on Ginny's arm, "Come on Ginny, that was uncalled for, even if he insulted your brother." Ginny shot Dean a look of betrayal and wrenched her arm out of his grip. She shook her head at him and ran away, up the stairs to her dorm.

No one spoke for a few minutes.

I was shocked that Ginny would blow up like she did. She always seemed outspoken but never really around a lot of people. Ron's situation must have affected her more than I'd expected. What Seamus said was rude and I thought that Ginny had every right to be angry. I gave Dean a disbelieving look and he looked down.

"You guys know that Seamus was right, right...?" Pavarti's voice was soft as she broke through the silence.

No one spoke up to disagree.

Frustration flooded through me and I shook my head, "You guys are idiots."

With that, I trudged up to my room, hoping to take a nap before the match and forget about the drama that Ron will be subjected to once he returns to the dorm.

**!4!**

**Harry's POV**

The dream was different this time.

I wasn't in the same room that I usually ended up in. This time I was outside. The night sky above me was completely unobstructed and it touched one side of the horizon and spread all the way to the other end of the world. The stars to be seen in this sky were unbelievable and I would have loved to explain it properly but it was... inexplicable in its majesty.

A soft wind blew, sending small ripples across the peaceful river that flowed at the bottom of the grassy slope I stood on. The wind blew across the long grass dominating the area beyond the river, causing it to ripple like an ocean. A large willow tree stood solemnly beside the river, its emerald branches swept across the lake.

The moon stood in the very center of the sky while pushing every star out of its way so it could shine with a dull glow, beating the sun in its beauty. Its reflection rippled on the river, glimmering softly. I had never seen a moon like this, one that glowed with this much enthusiasm or cast the world in dim silver light. It was complemented by billions of stars, standing guard across the moon's domain until the sun would rise again to ruin this perfect place.

The dark figure sitting alone on the grassy slope fit in naturally in the scene, as though the vampire was meant to be here, bathed in the moon's silver light. I tried to conjure up the typical hate I felt for the man, but it was hard to do it here. This whole world was not meant to have hate in it; it was a place of peaceful solemnity, which were two words that I couldn't use to describe anything but this world. I wouldn't bear to tarnish the harmony of this place with the distasteful emotion of hate, no matter how much I hated the vampire.

I couldn't stop the fear that flooded through me at the sight of him though. This was a seriously powerful vampire who had an obsession with me and already knew who I was. I must have let something slip the past times that I had encountered him. I couldn't afford to let the bastard know any more about me, he had the upper hand already.

The man still hadn't turned around to face me. The hood of his cloak was pulled over his head, so he was easy to miss in the near darkness here. I just stood watching him, not saying a word. I didn't want to spoil the peace that had settled in my heart at the moment, because it was a feeling that I hadn't known for a very long time.

"You know, when I'm out here it seems like everything will be okay," the vampire didn't look at me as he spoke; he simply raised his head and turned his gaze at the sky. "At night, when I see how impossibly beautiful the world becomes, it gives me hope that what seems impossible really isn't. It's only the sun's first, cruel rays that remind me of the true limits of the world."

I didn't say anything back to him; I wasn't even sure what he was talking about. I stared at him silently, agreeing with him on the beauty of this place. He didn't seem to mind that I didn't reply to him, because I was shocked to hear him humming softly. For the first time in the years the man had been invading my dreams, I noticed the man was completely at ease and… happy.

"Why did you bring me here?" My voice was soft and simple, I wasn't complaining. I preferred this place to the dull room any day, it was just so much more beautiful.

My question drew a chuckle from the vampire and I could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, "I didn't bring you here… You followed me, which was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure if I was imagining your arrival or not, as my imagination is rather wild when it comes to you. I see you everywhere."

I frowned slightly and shook my head. "I didn't follow you here. I just fell asleep and woke up in this place, wherever it is."

"You followed me, though you did unknowingly. I know you don't want to hear it, but it is because you need me." My anger threatened to roar up at his presumption and I opened my mouth to deny his claim but he raised a silencing hand and shook his head, "I have no reason to lie to you, so therefore I am not. Your soul is tired and you need me, so you came to me."

"You're wrong, I don't need you. I'll never need you." I growled softly, my eyes narrowing at him, "I don't even want you around, I don't _like_you, vampire."

He was silent for a moment as my words sunk in, I could almost feel the pain my words had inflicted in him. I wish that I could say that I was happy that I hurt him, but truly I got no joy out of it at all.

I wouldn't apologize to him, though. He didn't deserve one.

"You don't need to be afraid of … this." I could imagine that he meant himself in 'this' whatever he thought 'this' was, but I assumed it was the bond that I was trapped in with him. The words were spoken with so much emotion, with so much tenderness that I couldn't find the words to reply to him. He still hadn't cast a glance at me yet and I felt a pang in my chest.

He obviously knows what I look like if he knows my identity… so why wouldn't he look at me? Not even one glance was cast my way… not one. I knew that I shouldn't care what the vampire thought, but this form of rejection struck me deep down in my chest and I cast my gaze down at the ground, not sure how to handle this level of emotion.

I walked over to sit down but about a foot behind him and three feet to the right, so he was in my sights completely. I couldn't see anything past his cloak, not like I'd see the man anyway. I didn't know who he was. I wanted to know at the moment though, I just wanted to get past the insecurity of him having the upper hand and being on equal ground. I really wanted the security of being able to reject him like he did with me, so I could help fill the hole that his rejection left in my chest.

I had never felt more vulnerable in my life and I couldn't do anything about it.

"W-What is this place?" My question was asked in a soft monotone, while I cast my gaze anywhere but on the man. I knew that this place wasn't anywhere I had ever been to, I would have never forgotten this place and now that I'd seen it, I doubted that I ever would.

The vampire ceased humming, "This place is a memory from my childhood, from before I had become a vampire. This place was where I would go to alone to collect my thoughts or run away from my problems or just be alone, before I ever knew of evil in the world." A bitter chuckle escaped his throat and he shook his head, "This place was from when there was still magic in the air, and in every living thing. It's been thousands of years…" His voice was thick with longing.

"You haven't been a vampire forever?" I asked in surprise.

The vampire laughed and shook his head. "You have so much shock in your voice at the concept, but no. Once, many millennia ago, I was just as alive as you. I had human emotions and dreams and desires. I was one of the very first vampires." **(2)**

"What happened?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, and bit my lip.

A soft sigh came from the man and he gazed up at the sky once more, seemingly lost in thought. I felt like I crossed some sort of line that brought back memories for him that were best left alone but I couldn't help my curiosity. I wasn't sure if he would answer, he seemed to be chewing on his own words, unable to state them.

"Do you really care?" His voice was soft and almost got lost in the wind.

I shrugged, "I'd like to know. You've been invading my privacy for years now. I should probably be able to invade yours a bit. It's only fair… but then again vampires play by their own rules."

The vampire laughed gently and shook his head, "I suppose it would be fair, but I should get rewarded for having my privacy invaded at least." I could hear the amusement that was thick in his voice and knew he was joking… but I wasn't an expert on psychotic vampires so I could be wrong. The bastard wouldn't ask for my name though, he already knows it.

"I suppose that would be fair," I conceded, "but I've had my privacy invaded for years and haven't gotten a reward."

"But you did."

"Yeah?" I replied haughtily, "Now what might that be?"

I could practically hear the grin in his voice as he responded, "Your reward is my charming company."

"You're a bastard."

"A charming bastard maybe," was the vampire's arrogant remark. I didn't believe he was joking though, he really thought that I'd find him charming.

I rolled my eyes, "Why do I get the feeling you have no friends?"

"Because you want me all to yourself."

I sat up straighter and growled. I reached out to punch him on the arm but stopped halfway before I actually touched him. Pulling my hand back like it was burned; I held it pressed to my chest. I had a funny feeling that something bad would happen if I touched him, like I could contract a vampire disease. If he even noticed what I did, then he didn't show any signs of it.

The vampire's voice was devoid of humor as he mumbled, "How about a question for a question? We have to answer honestly."

I weighed my options. This was a vampire that already knew who I was so probably already knows much more about me than I know about him but he is pretending that he doesn't know who I am. So he had much more to lose in this than I did. Chances are, it is someone who works at Hogsmeade or Hogwarts; so if I can play my cards right then I might even be able to figure out his identity. Smart move for me, dumb move for him.

"Only if we can stop when I want to and I can go first." I replied with my brows furrowed, he heart had sped up in excitement at the prospect of finding out who this is.

"Deal," He grinned back.

I nodded, "So what happened when you were changed?"

"Are you asking how I was changed, or for what reason I was?" He questioned reasonably.

"The first one."

"Okay." He sighed and shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "Vampires are changed through the exchange of blood." He paused and sighed, his voice beginning to grow rather distant as he finished, "I was dead, having bled to death. I was found and turned."

"By who? Why did they do it?" I asked quickly, not particularly caring if it wasn't my turn.

"Now, I thought it was my turn? Or do wizards 'play by their own rules'?" His voice was thick with sarcasm and amusement that caused my face to flush and my anger to rise.

My eyes narrowed, "Whatever. Just ask a question… bloody vampire."

He chuckled softly at my response. "I can feel that you are filled with lust occasionally through our bond…" His voice was thick with an emotion that I couldn't place, and I didn't care to try. "The person that you are feeling lust for… do you love them?"

Do I love Draco?

That question made me pause. I looked over at the vampire but he still had his hood up and hadn't changed his position. I bit my lip and looked back at the starry sky. I didn't know how to answer the vampire because to be honest, I really didn't know the answer. I never thought that I'd care about Draco, to be honest, all we were supposed to be were two gay guys that just fooled around for fun but of course things had to get complicated.

I know that if I told the vampire that I loved Draco then he would go and attack the blond, the fucking bastard was too jealous to not. I didn't know if the vampire would be able to sense whether I was lying, so I didn't know what to say. Whenever I am around Draco, I feel like I love him but whenever he isn't around, he means little to me.

Does that mean I'm using him? Whenever I am around Draco, we are usually doing the nasty so could that mean that I just love the sex? That sounds like me, but I'd rather have more faith in myself than that but the more the idea runs through my mind, the more I believe it.

More confused than ever, I replied, "No, I don't love him. Not like it should matter to you anyway."

"You're my soul mate, everything that involves you matters to me." He replied, his voice stronger than before. His voice was forceful, as though he was trying to force me into believing his words.

I didn't reply to him, I didn't really feel like fighting with him over the soul mates thing.

"Why were you turned into a vampire?" I asked in an attempt to feed my curiosity. There was just so much that he must know about me while I knew nothing whatsoever about him. He was so old; there must have been something about him even as a human that made him deadly.

I heard a soft sigh that was clouded with emotion, "I was going to be forced into doing something," another sigh, "Terrible. I… I wanted my life to have been worth more than what it was going to be, if you can understand that." His voice was thick and I bet that if I peered under his hood and could actually look at him, then I would have seen someone more human that I imagined before. "I wanted to be remembered as a good person when I died and maybe then I could die with the peace that I was born without."

I listened quietly, staring at the starry night sky and lost in thought. What the vampire was saying sounded far more… human than I originally thought he was capable of. I didn't know if he was finished, my question hadn't been answered but he had paused and seemed to be lost in his own memories.

After a few minutes, his voice was cleared and he continued in a stoic voice, "I stabbed myself." His statement surprised me and my eyebrows shot up, listening intently as he continued, "It wasn't as hard as I first expected it to be. When I was lying there, my life draining out of me, I thought of how much I hated my screwed up life and how many stupid mistakes I had made, how many opportunities I had thrown away." He shook his head and I heard a bitter chuckle escape from under his clock.

"That was the first time in my life when I had ever felt like I made the right decision, I had my time and now I was finally going to have some peace... It didn't work as I'd thought."

I didn't say anything. I felt like he was taking a trip through his memories that was more for his benefit than for mine. I didn't understand how he could have ever been able to take his own life, or what he meant when he said that he was going to be forced to do something terrible. I had so many questions but it felt like pressing on the subject right now would be like poking an open wound.

The vampire sighed, "You know, this really isn't a subject that you would understand."

"You haven't finished yet," I growled, angry that he tried to change the subject so abruptly.

He sighed and shook his head. Reluctantly he continued, "I was found just as I was a hair's breath away from death. I had bled out almost completely so when I was changed it didn't take long. Satan's blood made me powerful, strong enough to create my own life after I was changed. I wasn't forced to do what I was born to do." **(3)**

"And what were you born to do?" I asked quickly, extremely curious.

The man laughed once again, "My, my, your curiosity is insatiable. While I will answer your question, you will have to wait your turn."

"Okay, hurry up and ask then, prick," I growled out but my tone didn't have the bite that I wanted it to. I still felt bad for the man after what he had told me, no matter how much I didn't want to.

The man paused thoughtfully and I held my breath, hoping that he wouldn't ask a question that would be hard for me to answer. "You hate the idea of having a soul mate that is a vampire. You hate me with a passion in spite of the fact that you will have the best life you could ever imagine with me. I know you've studied vampire mates, you know the unimaginably deep feelings that will grow between us, how strong our bond can be. I am rich and more powerful than you can begin to imagine and I would worship you if you'd let me, how can you hate the idea of that?"

"Because vampires are evil," I replied simply but I felt a growing hole in my chest and I knew that I wasn't being true with myself. Vampires were evil, I knew that, so why did it feel like I wasn't looking deep enough into the matter?

The vampire sighed, "I told you that I can feel it if you lie to me. I'll only accept a straight answer for this." His voice as firm, and I knew that I wouldn't be hearing the end of this if I didn't try to answer more truthfully.

I shook my head, "That's the reason that I've been using since I found out about you… I've never considered that it wasn't the right reason." I whispered softly, looking down at the grass swirling around me. I shivered slightly and out of the corner of my eye I saw him flinch, as if he was going to wrap an arm around me, but he didn't change his position.

Sirius had always taught me that vampires were devil's spawn, monsters, something that isn't natural and should be eradicated. Sirius had dealt with them for so long that I never bothered to think that maybe his opinion was biased? I still felt that vampires did horrible things but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really didn't know enough about them to judge them.

"Vampires…are born to kill." I stated softly, I knew that fact was completely and undeniably true. "That's a reason why I hate being bonded to you." I was confident in my statement.

The vampire nodded, his cloak rustling softly in the wind, "Yes, vampires are meant to kill humans. I'll say that, and there are many who enjoy slaughtering them merely for pleasure-"

I felt a rush of victory at this statement; I had finally won an argument with the bastard. My triumph didn't last long though.

"-But then again, humans were born to kill animals and most of them do. Humans have slaughter houses, testing (doesn't make sense. No apparent context),countless individuals who huntgame for the fun of it and much more." He continued with more confidence in his voice. "But I don't claim that humans are bad. There are many who do horrible things, but the bad is equally weighed by the good that humans do as well – the people who do not kill animals inhumanely or don't eat them at all and fight for animal rights.

"Vampires are just the same. Most vampires drink from willing humans and will only drink from unwilling if they need to and almost all never kill the human after. There are only a few vampires that get joy out of killing humans for their own pleasure, usually the weaker ones who have less respect for the king." The vampire finished with a hint of anger in his voice but I paid little attention to that as he added one last statement, "We work against our nature, wizards just don't take the time to understand us and only judge us on the faults of a few of our kind."

Anger flared up in my chest, "It's not like vampires try to be understood though. You live completely alone in a secluded location and the ones that do try and be among wizards are only there to kill. If you want a better life then you have to try."

The vampire released a tired sigh and I had the impression that he'd thought the matter over many times. "I…we should have done that thousands of years ago, before wizards developed such a passionate hate for us. The king was much younger back then and cockier on the issue, he felt that we were far superior and didn't want to live side by side with wizards, but as lords of them." The man shook his head slightly.

"The king had gotten what he'd wanted… in a sense. Wizards served vampires for a few centuries." His voice was bitter and somewhat amused, "It was a dark time for both vampires and wizards. Vampires had no respect for their power or for wizards. They treated the wizards like animals and eventually the wizards fought back."

I felt a small smirk tug on my lips, "The vampires got their asses kicked, then?"

I swear I heard a soft chuckle escape the vampire's lips and he shook his head, "Many did, but no, in the end the vampires had won. Wizards had been a lot less powerful then, the vampires had hindered most of their power and their numbers were insignificant compared to vampires. The war did change one thing though."

"Oh?" I cocked an eyebrow, urging the man on.

The man paused and I kept waiting for him to continue but it seemed to be getting more difficult for him to finish. He took a deep breath and stared up at the sky, "The king fell in love with a witch. I don't mean the human flimsy, conditional, light version of love but the deep, eternal, fiery love that vampires feel. The girl loved him back."

I nodded, "How do you know?"

The vampire paused before continuing smoothly, "I knew the king rather well during that time. The world was a much better place during that time. The witch was a member of the royal family, something wizards had at the time, so wizards and vampires had lived side-by-side at the time happily. It was a golden age. The king… he was different, he had gained a respect for life that he had never known he had, he made it clear that no vampire was to kill another human."

"But that peace ended?" I guessed, cocking my eyebrow.

The man's voice was tight and stoic as he continued, "All things come to an end, kid, the good things just tend to pass with more vigor than the bad. But yes. The girl… Kara, that the king had been infatuated with died at the hand of a vampire. The wizards had started a war with vampires at that time and it hasn't stopped and now, there's too much bad blood for the vampires to hope for any peace between the two."

I frowned, "Wait, aren't vampires protective over their mates? Shouldn't the king have protected Kara?" I asked curiously.

I received no answer to this for a long time. The man started to run his hands through the grass silently. "She wasn't his mate." He finally replied softly, his hands twirling around grains of grass. "He thought she was though and that's why when he caught her with another man, he lost his temper and killed her." His voice was soft but its echo swam through my head, "Of course, is she was his mate he would have never been able to kill her but he didn't know that then."

I shook my head, "that's… horrible."

The vampire nodded his head, "he hated himself for what he had done…he's never stopped. It was then that he drew back from wizards. He built a castle the size of a city for his vampires… his family, to live in peace to not have to deal with magic ever again and just live with his memories."

"He couldn't move on?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

The vampire let out a bitter laugh, "It's easier to hold onto the hate. Once it's gone, you must feel the pain. Pain of the death of his supposed mate, pain from the knowledge that he is capable of such a thing, pain of the thought of a life lived alone. After all, forever means nothing if you have no one to spend eternity with."

"If she wasn't his mate and he still loved her so much, then why couldn't he just find someone else who could take her place?" I asked.

The man sighed and cast a tired glance at me, "You misunderstand the power of a vampire's emotions… when you actually manage to fall in love and then you lose it… you can't just fill the void with another. You can't just stop feeling love because you can't deal with the pain, just like you can't close your heart off from what you don't want to feel." His voice was soft and in that moment, he sounded his age. There was knowledge in his voice that could only be attained after too much life. "If a vampire loves someone, they love them with every fiber of their being, with everything they have."

I didn't reply to him, I was lost in thought at the sheer intensity of the vampire's words, which shocked me. His voice was so full of emotion, so full of passion that I could feel his soul in the words. It was a dramatic change from the other conversations that I'd had before.

He vampire sighed again, "It was a little more than a decade ago that vampire society had reawaken with vigor that they've never felt before."

I nodded already knowing where this was going, "The king had felt his true mate was born and now everyone is a frenzy to find and kill-or in vampire's case, just find- her so the king will become more powerful that can be imagined."

The vampire sighed and shook his head, "Vampires are looking for the king's mate–myself included–but not for the power. The king is beloved to every vampire; they are doing it out of love for him."

I cocked an eyebrow, "You're all brainwashed into loving him?" I pictured Lucius Malfoy being tied down and told he was getting sleepier and sleepier… I couldn't help but laugh a little.

The man actually laughed along with me, it was a rich and joyous sound that I'd love to hear more of. "As funny as that'd be, no. Vampires have a deep understanding for certain members of their society, specifically the more powerful people… that's how I know this. The king wanted everyone to understand him so they would understand who is ruling them and with understanding comes deeper emotions."

I nodded, "You preach a lot." I commented simply. "You remind me of someone I know, she likes to think she knows everything too." I grinned, hoping to lighten the conversation a bit.

The man's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at me with wide eyes. He paused for a moment as if in shock and then started laughing, the careless noise that I loved before. "You really are different. No one's ever had the backbone to say that to me before."

"That's why you still do it then," I replied simply, not meaning to offend him but not really caring if I did.

The man's laughing didn't stop and he shook his head, "You know, one day you're going to be a jackass to the wrong person and you're going to be in trouble for it."

"I'll be able to handle it," I stated confidently crossing my arms grinning.

The vampire shook his head, "If there was ever a time to say 'famous last words' it would be now."

I raised an eyebrow, "Whatever, I know that I'm not going to get myself in trouble and even if I ever did then I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting out of it. By the way, you know vampires won't be able to find the king's mate, right?"

A small, amused smirk grew on the man's face and he cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? And why would that be?"

"Because vampires have to hide from wizards constantly so they won't draw attention to themselves, they won't have the time to find her." I replied smugly.

The man grinned and shook his head, "You don't know too much about vampires, do you?"

"Why?"

"Because vampires can secretly be around humans whenever and not get any undue attention," He replied, preaching again. "We have two forms: a human one and a vampire one. In the human one we can use magic. We aren't as powerful as wizards, but we still have it. We aren't as beautiful and have more physical restrictions, but we blend in. The only exception to the rule is the king whose magic is probably as strong as Dumbledore's and has no physical limitations in his human form, though he is less beautiful in order to blend in."

That means that this vampire could have been anywhere… anyone that I've ever spoken to. The thought tore through my mind and left me feeling like I wanted to puke. I didn't reply to the vampire, instead I got to my feet and I shook my head. "I have to wake up."

The vampire frowned and cocked an eyebrow, "Scared I already know you?"

I shook my head repeatedly and growled, "Just fuck off! That's cheating! You fucking bastard, I fucking hate you! Go burn in hell you bastard." I just kept chanting curses as I pinched myself, trying to wake up.

The vampire looked at me sadly one last time as my vision became foggy and dark. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that the most beautiful intense blue eyes were burning into me, "Good luck in the match tonight, Harry. I'll be cheering you on, love."

I awoke screaming profanities in my bed, the image of those magnificent blue eyes seared into my mind.

**(1)-I know Snape has his secrets, but don't worry because you guys will figure them out as the story progresses. If you read the chapter really closely then you might get a hint of why he's at Hogwarts ;)**

**(2)-Remember that Riddle doesn't want to scare Harry with the fact that he is the king of vampires, the first. So the origin of vampires will be vague for a little while, try and be patient with me, guys.**

**(3)-Remember that Riddle is trying to be secretive so Harry won't find out that he is the king, and freak out. You'll find out about this stuff soon, don't worry.**

**A/N sorry about the long wait guys, I've been working and caught up in school starting again. This should have been out about a week ago but I lost someone I knew well and didn't have the heart to finish it for a while. **

And thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: .Placeholder. She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New world, New hopes**.**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH


	10. Change of Emotions

**Hey everyone, this is a remake of my story "Garden Of Eden"**

**Warning, it will be very different from the other version **

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, J. K Rowling does.

**This won't follow the Harry Potter story line. **

**Summary: !**AU HP/TR Slash Vampire! Tom! Harry Potter's the Golden boy of Hogwarts. Growing up with his godfather Sirius, his life was perfect. He's the best person on the Quidditch team and is the best dueller in his year. The Wizarding world is in a bloody war against vampires and the mysterious vampire king. Tensions at Hogwarts sky rocket as they learn that vampire attacks are getting closer and closer, especially when students begin to go missing. Meanwhile, Harry is having dreams...dreams about a man...who claims that Harry belongs to him. Lemons, vampireness and all that

**Pairings:**Sirius/Bill, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Neville/Lavender, Harry/Tom, Lucius/ (it's a surprise but you guys will _love_this one ;) ), Severus... (this is another one you are going to love) the other couples will be decided as I write

**I CLEARLY MARK THE SEXUAL SCENES IN THIS SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM, THEN SKIP THEM. I DON'T WANT TO GET FLAMED SO JUST AVOID READING WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. **

**Oh and the POV's will change from time to time. If it isn't in first person point of view, then it obviously isn't in Harry's POV. **

**The Garden of Eden**

**By Lizzie's Last Night**

**Words in this chapter: **9,112

**Pages**: 18

**Chapter ten- **Change of emotions

**Chapter warnings:**

**Okay guys, for anyone who is nervous about fighting and death then I suggest you don't read the first scene. **

**There will be mentions of sexual scenes in Riddle's POV. They are fairly easy to predict so watch for them and if you don't want to read it THEN SKIP OVER IT. **

**Oh and there will be a lot of changes of POV in this chapter, if your someone who doesn't like this then don't read it. You can send me a message asking what happened in this chapter if you don't want to read it and I'll let you know. **

**So this chapter is dedicated to my beta ( .Placeholder) who has been giving me so many amazing ideas and helping to get my ideas sorted out, I don't know if this story would still be being written without her so please try and read her story and review it? The info for it is down at the bottom of the chapter so please look? I'd really appreciate it. **

"What's the greater loss in life? Losing something you always had,

or losing something you never had the chance to get?"

**General POV**

Montrose was a cute Wizarding community by most standards, said to be 'stuck in the past' by most wizards who lived there. It was just as old as Hogsmeade. There was no crime in this village nestled in the mountains, and its population was considered rather small. Its population didn't vary much due to the fact that most people that grew up there tended to stay there. Few moved to the village; for someone unaccustomed to a simple life it was definitely a hard adjustment.

Because Montrose had such a small population of wizards, it was natural that everyone knew each other there. Most of the children that lived in Montrose attended Hogwarts though enough were home schooled that those who lived there had formed bonds that outsiders would never really fit into. For most people, Montrose could be considered a perfect, humble little village: great for a simple life.

The population of Montrose, however, was not quite as innocent as meet the eye. They were prejudiced towards vampires. Many people who carried this prejudice had never encountered a vampire before, being so secluded from the world. Yet this intolerance had been passed on from generation to generation since the time of the Wizard revolution, when wizards had broken away from the control of vampires.

Because of this prejudice, when a representative from Britain's ministry of magic came and pleaded for their aid in war against vampires, they decided to help. The Montrose city council had sent a group of young men and women to trudge through the northern regions of France and Belgium and a few into Germany. They searched for the vampires' headquarters, but so far no group had been successful.

Wizards were overconfident, feeling safety in their large numbers. Many groups were destroyed, lost with no survivors. That day, Montrose had learned that a group that had been searching in north eastern Belgium had been lost with only the head of a man found staked to a tree. The village had sent twenty-eight men and seventeen women that were a part of this group.

It had been a day of mourning for the small community and the night was filled with weeping. Deaths were few in the village, and to lose such a large number of their population. It would not be an easy loss for the small community to get passed and the memory would remain in their minds for many years to come. So the village was silent as the population mourned the dead.

That was when the screaming started.

Fire ran through the village, eating through houses like dragons eating sheep. The villagers who, who had no warning, found themselves suck before they could run. Men, women and children alike found themselves swallowed by the flames, joining the comrades they had lost before. Those who managed to escape from their houses were no luckier than the rest.

The panicking villagers were frantic, running from the fire en masse. They made a grave mistake, however, failing to see the shadows that stood amongst the trees. Blood was scattered amongst the brush, the blood of those that ran recklessly. The slaughter was endless as more and more petrified villagers ran for safety amongst the trees, unknowing that the monstrosities that resided in the dark were much scarier than the flames eating their village.

There were those that sought solace in the lake, who had already been licked by the flames. Little to their knowledge, there were horrors in the lake's black depths which drug down to where the flames' bright light could not reach. There was no sanctuary, nowhere to run. The once happy, perfect village nestled in the mountains was the target of a massacre; not because of blood but justice. It was something done out of necessity, not pleasure.

The mountains echoed with the screams of the dying and the woods were quiet with the silent observation from the beings in the shadows. There were no moves to stop the screams of the dying, but there was no joy in the mood of the night.

Standing above the village, above the shadows in the woods, on a cliff overlooking the scene was a man. He stood with his cloak billowing out like darkness incarnate. His hands were unstained with blood as he watched the dying emotionlessly. The moonlight glistened off his skin, yet it barely seemed to touch him.

Voldemort bowed his head to the dying screams and kissed his right palm, shutting his eyes. "May death be kinder to you than I." He clenched his hand and gazed at the lightening bolt scar that burned there. The burning increased and the man sighed, "It's time."

He turned to face the northern horizon and smirked softly in the direction of a certain Wizarding school.

**!2!**

**Hermione's POV**

Hermione stood outside gazing into the night, listening to the pained screams that were faint in the distance. Her face was pale as paper as she began quivering. She tried to not imagine what was happening, but professor Snape had told her not to fear what was occurring. It did nothing to put her horror to rest, however.

Snape was sitting inside of the cottage, staring at the horizon just as she was. She knew he wouldn't be able to put his mind to rest knowing the massacre that was transpiring at that very moment. Hermione wished she could just go back into the cottage and cast a silencing charm and take a dreamless sleep potion but she couldn't seem to move away from her spot.

Her stomach was in knots and she knew why, even if she didn't want to face the truth. Her Mate was there, he was one of the vampires attacking the village. She couldn`t explain how she knew in words but it seemed so simple to her. She could feel his presence there somehow, she could feel his emotionless mind if she focused hard enough.

Hermione knew that just because her Mate was there didn`t mean that he was a heartless killer anymore than men sent to war were. He was doing his duty to his race, she just didn`t want to imagine blood stains on the love of her life`s hands and hear the pained screams he had almost certainly pulled from innocent wizards.

Hermione shut he eyes and shook her head, wanting to shake out the images of blood and gore that filled her mind. She knew that they would stick in her head during her lonely time at Snape's cottage where she would be staying until her sixteenth birthday in May. She knew that her Mate wasn't evil, but she didn't know how she was going to ignore the deaths on his hands when she will finally meet him.

With a sigh, she turned around and walked back into the cottage. She turned to gaze at the horizon once more; the screams were ebbing away now as the suffering finally died. The night was becoming eerily silent once more, and she didn't feel comfortable outside, knowing that there were hundreds of vampires out - even if they were heading in the opposite direction and there were powerful wards on the cabin. The vampires had tasted blood tonight and as Severus had pointed out, they were unpredictable in their bloodlust.

Hermione knew she was safe where she was, that Severus was watching her from the window above to make she didn't do anything idiotic like leaving the wards. He didn't need to worry though; there was no way in hell that she would ever leave the safety of the cabin-grounds at a time like this. The woods were eerily dead, the silence unnatural, and she could feel it.

She could feel the danger that lurked behind the tree line and it caused goose bumps to grow on her arms. The knowledge that her Mate was out there sent jolts down her spine, and she felt a slight inclination to walk past the wards, just a little bit, just to see.

Her common sense won out over her curiosity though. Nothing good would come of leaving the wards. While she was in them, no vampire or any other creature would be able to sense her presence or smell her but because she was in a five-mile radius of excited vampires, she wouldn't stand a chance. They would be able to break through the wards if they knew she was there, their lack of knowledge was the only thing ensuring her protection.

To leave the wards would be selfish as well, because the vampires would know of Severus as well. Even though he was a part of their species, he was low ranked; he didn't even have the authority to enter their sacred city let alone the castle. He would be killed for sport because the vampires had been killing out of duty all night.

Hermione shuddered at the thought of how barbaric vampires could be toward each other. As Severus had blatantly put it, it was 'survival of the fittest' among their species and those that could not earn enough respect for themselves had to tread on eggshells around the ones who could. It was a very cold view on life but Hermione could understand it; vampires lived a life of war against many creatures and those that couldn't take care of themselves wouldn't be pitied by ones that learned to.

The cottage was quiet and dark as she walked in, except for the few candles lit to help her see. Severus didn't need them, he could see perfectly well in darkness. She sighed and trudged up to her bedroom, the one Snape had given her. The curtains were drawn and there were candles that had been freshly lit and a cup of tea that still had steam wafting off of it.

A small smile pulled on Hermione's lips; it was Snape who had left her room like this for her. She slowly walked over to her bed and sipped her tea; it was exactly how she liked it. She grinned, the cold man may not be very open with his feelings but in the weeks Hermione had lived in his cabin, she had noticed just how caring the man could be. She wished she had known he was so kind while she was in Hogwarts, she would have shown him much more respect.

She sat on her bed and calmly took off her shoes, getting ready for sleep. She lifted the mug up to her lips one last time when she rubbed her thumb against something inscribed on it. She raised an eyebrow, not knowing that Snape had some of his mugs embroidered. As long as Hermione had stayed with him, she had gotten used to the bland colors of her ex-professors possessions.

Hermione raised the mug up to eyelevel and squinted at it. At the bottom in extremely small cursive letters there was a word written. In the dim light, it was almost impossible to make out but she eventually realized what it said. "Elysium." The word felt as though it should mean something to her but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

A cold breeze came in through her slightly open window and she brushed the curtains away momentarily, causing her to shiver. Hermione caught a glimpse of the outside, of the yard beyond the cottage. She saw two figures standing just beside the tree line but that was all she could see as the curtain blew back in place.

Surprised, Hermione got to her feet and opened the curtains the slightest bit, just an inch so she could see who they were. She first assumed they were rogue vampires that had found Snape's wards; fear coursed through her but quickly died down as she recognized one of the figures standing in the moonlight. The other figure, the one in the shadows, was unrecognizable.

She bit her lip as she watched Snape converse with the figure in the shadows calmly, as though he had nothing to fear. Confusion and embarrassment welled inside her, she knew she shouldn't be spying but she really did want to know whom Severus was talking to. She didn't know that anyone else knew where the cottage was or even if this as a friendly visit.

Hermione stifled a gasp as the figure in the darkness came at Severus but was left in shock as it was only to embrace the other man. She felt horrible for watching such a private moment as Severus wrapped his arms around the dark figure and leaned into a passionate kiss. She didn't know that the man had a lover, nor should she as it was none of her business. She squinted, wanting to know who the other man was.

Suddenly the dark man pulled away from Severus and turned his gaze up to her. Hermione was jolted by fear and jumped away from the window, knocking over her tea in her surprise. Her breathing was harsh, and her pulse raced much faster than usual. The man was standing in the moonlight when he shot his gaze up at her.

She shook her head. "No it's impossible, it can't be him." She recognized the face of the man but it struck her down to her very core. No, it couldn't have been him. She had seen the impossible and she didn't know what to believe.

Hermione couldn't have seen whom she thought she had; after all, he was dead.

**!2!**

**Draco's POV**

Draco Malfoy was in trouble. There was no other way to put it.

He didn't know how or when it had happened but he was uncontrollably infatuated with Tom Riddle. It hit him like a tidal wave and he was submerged: he couldn't get the professor out of his mind even for a second. Draco couldn't even escape the man in his dreams, because they were full of sapphire eyes just as well as his waking mind. It infuriated him; he had a _boyfriend_for hell's sake!

A pang of guilt flooded through Draco as he thought of Harry. He tore his eyes off of Riddle for a moment and shot a glance across the room at Harry, even though it was getting harder to even think about the other boy. Everything he'd ever shared with Harry, all of his greatest fears and his dreams, seemed to mean nothing to Draco now.

Draco, admittedly, didn't even see what he first found so appealing about Harry. He used to think Harry was angelic but now he seemed like pond scum next to Riddle. The blond wished he could grow some bravery and just tell Harry the truth that he couldn't be with him, but the thought of being around Harry made Draco's head hurt.

Draco sighed and watched Riddle talk about the new study unit they'd be working on, dangerous magical creatures, and couldn't help but shake his head at the beauty. He knew that Riddle was all he wanted, the man was everything he would ever want or need.

He wasn't meant to be with Harry, he could see that now even if he didn't know where the feeling of love had gone.

**!3!**

**Harry's POV**

I watched Draco cast a sad glance across the room in my direction momentarily before turning away once again to face the front of the room.

The look the blond gave me was unpleasantly clear: he didn't want me anymore. The thought caused a constricting sensation in my chest and it prickled my eyes, a feeling that I wasn't accustomed to and definitely never wanted to feel again. I didn't understand what I had done to make Draco change his feelings so abruptly and I burned in frustration; I should be able to change this but I didn't know how. Draco wasn't planning on going near me... that was becoming abundantly clear.

I felt a nudge to my arm and I looked over at Ron who was frowning at me. "Are you okay mate?" The question was whispered but I feel felt a little annoyed by it. It was obvious that I was very much not okay, so why would his asking me about it do anything but piss me off?

I sighed and nodded at the ginger, giving him a faint 'yes' before watching Riddle teach again. Ron had been pretty irritating since he had gotten back. I knew it was harsh to think that, but it was true. The ginger had tried telling others about what he saw but the popular opinion of him was that he was lying to try and get attention. It had been a vampire, he told me, which caused everyone to ignore him or outright call him a liar.

I didn't say anything about Ron's story. I believed in vampires, unlike some others at Hogwarts, because of personal experience with one very obsessive and obtrusive one that didn't understand the meaning of 'I don't like you'. I wasn't planning on validating Ron's story, though. I would have one hell of a time trying to sound sane while talking about 'the vampire that comes to me in my dreams'.

I sighed and tried to shake the thoughts of the dream out of my head. I had been on edge ever since the last dream I had, when I found out that vampires could turn into humans if they chose to. That was definitely not good for me, as the bloody stalker could be anyone. Hell, I could be sitting in the same room as it now and not even know it! Well, probably not, but still... the thought sent shivers down my spine and I looked around the room.

There was really no chance that a vampire could get into Hogwarts undetected: the headmaster would notice it automatically. Vampires have an aura different from other creatures that's harder to hide, although more powerful vampires are better at hiding it; Sirius had explained this to me when I asked how he knew someone was a vampire if they weren't as beautiful as most.

I had felt a sense of betrayal at the end of my last dream that had caused me to freak out more than my fear did, and I couldn't aptly explain why I felt the emotion. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, looking through the window outside at the sunny grounds. I felt that I was losing the game of cat and mouse and I didn't even realize it. That... thing was very real and out there somewhere.

The vampire had always just been a dream for me, something separate from real life that only existed in my head. It was when I found out that he had a human form that things felt truly real for me. I wasn't dealing with a dream anymore; I was against a real life monster who seemed to be one step ahead of me in a game that I really couldn't afford to lose.

"-have mates?" Riddle's voice had gotten louder and he sounded rather pissed off so I looked up to see the man standing right before my desk. The man had moved as silently as a shadow and it shocked me to death to see him there. "Well? Do they, Potter?"

I cast a side glance to Ron for help, having not even heard the question that was asked of me. The ginger grimaced back and shrugged, shaking his head in apology. Mentally groaning, I guessed and replied, "Yes?" I hoped I was right, that would definitely wipe the small smirk off the bastard's lips.

"You're telling me werewolves do have predestinated mates?" Riddle cocked an eyebrow and his smirk grew even larger. His eyes were intense; it felt like I was being stabbed by his gaze. He kept trying to catch my eye with his blue ones but I found I didn't have the heart to meet his eyes this time.

I shrugged and leaned back on my chair lazily, "I guess not. I don't really believe in anyone having someone already picked out for them, or else people wouldn't have free will." I knew that it was a load of bull, but it felt good to say out loud; by saying it out loud, I could pretend it was true.

I saw a few people in the class turn to give me a 'what the hell' look but I didn't really care. Riddle was appraising me emotionlessly, his fiery eyes calculating as they searched my face for something I hoped he wouldn't find, because he was a little desperate. I couldn't tell you how I could feel his desperation, but I could. His emotions were controlled with a cool demeanor but there was more that I couldn't see, and I wished I could.

"That isn't something I'd expect to hear from you, with your godfather having the profession that he does. I had assumed that you had more sense but my expectations never seem to be met with you, Potter." His voice was quiet but didn't have the edge that it usually did. Riddle seemed to be studying me more than talking to me, it was unnerving but I couldn't help but enjoy the attention. It felt right.

I shrugged off his insult and replied "Maybe they only believe they found their 'soul mate' because they want to believe it. If there really were such things as pre-destined mates, then it wouldn't be that they were two people who would be the best together, but because the two people are forced into loving each other because fate decided it."

I saw Pansy Parkinson's hand shoot up from the other side of the room and expected Riddle to answer it but the man's eyes never left mine. "How do you know that fate is real? Soul Mates could be two people that happen to work the best with each other, and because of that they are tied together."

"Sir!" Pancy Parkinson's voice squealed before I could reply. She was bobbing in her seat, trying to get Riddle to notice her, and I guess she eventually gave up and bluntly asked: "Do you believe it soul mates yourself?"

Riddle's eyes didn't leave mine, they seared into my green ones for a moment before turning away. The look in his eyes was so powerful that it left me speechless. "Yes, Miss Parkinson, I do believe that certain beings have them."

"Why only certain species?" A boy from the back of the room asked curiously.

Riddle smiled softly. This was obviously a topic that he enjoyed speaking about. "Certain species have them because in order to have a soul mate, you must be capable of much deeper emotions than wizards possess. Werewolves, vampires and veela can have them because they feel emotions on a deeper level than humans do."

That speech was extremely familiar and left me with a bad taste in my mouth at the thought that he had already tried to explain the concept to me before. I shook my head and growled out, "That's bullshit. How can any species compare their emotions to another when they can't experience them first hand?" The fact that Riddle was probably assuming all of this bothered me to no end.

Riddle's blue eyes flashed back to me, and his lips twitched up at the corners. I leaned forward on my chair in anticipation to see how he was going to explain that. "You're forgetting that people can be changed into another species, like wizards being turned into vampires." His eyes bore into mine, and I couldn't bring myself to look away.

I nodded, "Yeah people can be changed into different species but_you're_forgetting that once they're changed, they forget many details from their past lives. It would be understandably hard to remember how strongly you used to feel an emotion if you just _died_and woke up again. Even if someone says that they could compare, what if they just hadn't felt emotions strongly? You can't judge the entire species by only a couple examples." I stated smugly, the corners of my lips turning up.

Riddle grinned and licked his lips, his eyes lighting up in challenge. "You're basing your theory on judgments just as well, Potter. You said that it would be impossible for someone to remember how he felt after being changed when you haven't been through the experience. It is easy to say that it 'would be understandably hard' to feel an emotion after changing, if you've never had it happen to you."

I shook my head and rose to my feet so I wouldn't be looking up at Riddle as much and glared back, "You're saying that I am basing my theory off assumptions, yet you are basing yours off a possibility! You're saying that they _could_very well feel emotions more strongly, but you can't actually give a definite! It's only possibilities, which don't prove _anything_. There's a possibility that Bigfoot is real, and there's a possibility that the Loch Ness monster is real, but no one will say that they actually exist because there is no hard evidence." I was breathing rather heavily by the time I finished my rant, proud of myself for standing up to the Bastard.

"Umm," A small voice poked up from behind me. Neither I nor Riddle turned our heated gazes away from each other to look at Lavender as she shook. "Technically, Bigfoot is real. It's been proven that Bigfoots are only werewolves that were careless so you can't really use that example." Seeing my heated glare, she blushed intensely and looked down, "I just thought I should point that out."

Riddle looked at me for another moment before turning away and walking back up to the front of the room, before the class. "Lavender, that was a good point and anyone who didn't know that learned something today. Five points to Gryffindor."

The blond girl's blush grew deeper as she squealed, "thank you sir."

Riddle shot her a charming smile that seemed to make the girl melt before he addressed the class once more. "I thought the topic being discussed before was rather interesting. I am going to break everyone into small groups, and I want you all to discuss the idea for the rest of class. I will give each group a different type of creature, and I want you to talk about what makes that group different than the others and what makes them similar."

I mentally sighed, not wanting to have to participate in a stupid exercise with people whose opinions I didn't agree with. I could see Riddle's eyes flash to me out of the corner of my eye and knew that the bastard was doing it to piss me off. I couldn't seem to get angry at him, though, because I was on such a high after winning an argument against him.

While I was stating my opinion against Riddle, his eyes bored into mine in a way that I had never experienced before. His eyes had an obsessive glint in them, and his entire stance was stiff, like he was enjoying it too much. He seemed genuinely surprised as well, but I didn't know what to make of that. I challenged him all the time before; I just didn't do so with the insight that I had now. I never had a desire to challenge him intellectually before. I had just wanted to piss him off, but things had... changed…and I didn't want to think about what caused that change in me.

I watched the man intently as he passed through people, sorting them into different groups. He was admired, that was easy to see as everyone who he spoke to changed slightly in his presence. They didn't simply ogle at the man, but their eyes widened in approbation and determination, as though they were resolute to prove themselves to him. The more I thought about it, that really wasn't a bad thing. Riddle had a way of getting students to live up to their full potential... so he was a decent teacher, I supposed.

Riddle was almost to my side of the room, after explaining the assignment to a student once more. I supposed he wasn't ugly. I mean, many people talked about how gorgeous he was, but I'd never really thought about it before. He had a dark beauty that made you feel like you were staring into the abyss and were tempted to jump in just to see what would happen.

The man paused whilst talking and looked up to meet my eyes. His face was emotionless but his eyes were stormy. He caught my eye and I stared for a moment, not understanding the feeling of calmness that was passing through me like a breeze. The man cocked his head to the side, a confused frown passing across his face.

It was funny, just as things were getting confusing to him, they were finally making sense for me.

**!4!**

**Riddle's POV**

Tom stood alone in his classroom after everyone had left. It was strangely silent. He had grown bizarrely attached to the happy sounds of students filling a room, which had nearly caused him to stab out his ears when he first started. He especially enjoyed the innocent chatter that he could never really grow accustomed to.

It was a difficult adjustment from his old life when he first entered Hogwarts. The school had an old history but the faces that graced its halls each year were new and had seen no dark years before them. It was odd to see faces so full of happiness and hope who did not look at each other in an attempt to figure out the best way to kill you. This place had softened his heart, but he didn't feel anger at the thought like he'd used to.

In the beginning, Tom had only had one reason for dealing with all of the annoyances that the school was teeming with (namely the students),but Hogwarts had turned out to be more pleasant than expected. When Harry turned sixteen, Tom knew that he would miss this place. It would be okay though, because with Harry by his side he'd never know true loneliness ever again.

Warmth filled Riddles body as his head filled up with thoughts of _his _Harry, and he grasped the desk until his knuckles turned white. He imagined the black haired boy possessively and could hear the wood on his desk moan as his grip tightened. Oh, how he wished he could take the boy away and teach him of his new world.

Riddle sighed and walked over to the window to stare out at the sunlit grounds. He knew that his plans wouldn't go smoothly, not if Harry had any say in the matter. He shook his head with a smile as he thought of how much his beautiful mate has surprised him; Harry was far more opinionated and independent than he first imagined his mate would be.

Riddle chuckled softly as he thought of what he had expected his mate to be when he first felt Harry being born. He pictured a small, beautiful girl with silky hair and big eyes who would look at him with adoration and trust in her eyes. He imagined her to be kind and sweet and gentle, someone who needed to be taken care of.

Then he got Harry.

Harry was like a tidal wave; he was hard and shocked you, leaving you angry and not completely sure of what happened. Tom had never known what annoyance was until he met Harry James Potter, never in his life had he ever been contested on _every single_word he said and called out on things he didn't knew were part of his personality. He was used to seeing people look at him with respect and fear, but never with the defiant disdain that Harry possessed, and it was thrilling.

Harry Potter was definitely not what he'd expected but Tom knew Harry was perfect. Harry would live amongst the deadliest vampires to ever walk the earth, and would have to be as strong as possible which, was something Tom didn't have to worry about now.

Harry was like no one he had ever met before, and that caused him to grow an obsession that had grown with every moment Harry was in his life. Riddle knew he should have probably understood the meaning of that, but he'd still just viewed Harry as a suicidal little child that had to learn when to pick his battles.

Then Harry had started to see Draco Malfoy.

Tom started to notice the subtle glance they'd throw at each other during class from the beginning, then he had seen them walking out on the grounds together toward the forest. When Malfoy was bullying younger students and Harry showed up, the blond would completely change and turn into challenging Harry. It wasn't until he had actually seen the two boys _together_that Riddle had recognized the burn that filled his chest at the thought of the two boys together.

Tom had been sitting alone in his study, tracing a map of the ministry enforced hunter groups moving across Europe when he felt it. It was as though his chest was on fire and his head was suddenly fogged in confusion. He didn't know why he was feeling what he was, but he knew he couldn't sit down any longer. He decided to take a walk through the school.

Because it was past curfew, the school was pretty quiet. Dying candles cast fading shadows down the halls, giving the school an eerie glow. Tom walked silently down the halls, not really in any direction until he stopped before an unused classroom that no one used. The school was so massive that there had probably been no one down these hallways in years, so it was strange that he could feel a charm placed on the door.

The door was charmed locked and had a silencing spell placed over it, which was no problem for Riddle because there were few Wizards out there who could cast a spell he couldn't break through. He heard moans from behind the silencing spell and could feel Draco's magical signature on the spells, so he assumed the boy was fulfilling his needs inside.

Riddle knew he didn't want to see the little boy playing with his bits, but he couldn't help but silently break the locking charm on the door and place a cloaking charm on himself. He stepped through the door magically and stood in the room. The room was dark with light only coming from the silvery streams on moonlight that pooled in from the windows.

Riddle couldn't tear his eyes from the sight before him.

**!This is sexual! Don't read if that bothers you, the back button is there for a reason!**

Draco Malfoy was lying on his back on a desk, completely naked with his mouth open and allowing pants of pleasure to escape from his thin lips. It wasn't him whom Tom's eyes were drawn to first, though, but the green-eyed boy thrusting into him.

Harry, his Harry, was entirely naked and fucking Lucius's son. His tan form was stiff and his beautiful head was thrown back in ecstasy, eyes slammed shut and lithe tongue poking out to lick his lips. Harry Potter was absolutely beautiful to Tom in that moment, in a way that was timeless and would last for the rest of his existence.

Tom felt a shift in his chest and something happened that hadn't happened since he had woken up a vampire; he felt the burning trail of a tear burn its way down his cheek. Suddenly things weren't just about himself, they were about Harry and the way his heart was about to burst out of his chest. It burned, it burned so badly, a feeling he hadn't known before, even after seeing Kara dead before him.

"Harry," He whispered so softly that the words got lost in the wind. The impact of the spoken words caused Tom's heart to clench and he felt another tear run down his cheek. This was the awakening of something that had been there since he had first laid his eyes on the fiery Gryffindor boy and it was causing fireworks to erupt in his chest.

Riddle could feel the electricity in the air between the two and could feel the emotions Harry had for the other boy already that hurt him with their strength. He felt like his chance was gone before he even noticed it was there. He had never understood why people said the hardest things to let go of were those one never had…until he finally felt it.

While watching Harry, he could feel his life pass by; all of his greatest emotions, all of the laughs and all of the sorrows were meant for this, for Harry. Everything Tom Riddle had been, was, and would ever be would be was because of Harry, and now Harry's heart was stolen before he'd opened his eyes.

Riddle watched as Malfoy's eyes went wide and screamed as he released, "I love you Harry!"

After Harry finished, Riddle watched as he wrapped his arms around the blond boy and kissed him passionately. The meaning was clear: Harry loved Malfoy as well.

**!Okay, no more mentions of sexual stuff!**

Tom shook his head and watched the interaction for another moment before leaving the room. He hadn't understood the full impact of what had transpired then, he wouldn't for a while, but his life was changed then. His Mate, the one with the other half of his soul, was in his grasp, and he wouldn't let go. He would later find evidence to confirm his suspicions but it didn't matter if he never did; everything he was belonged to his Mate, his life, his love...

... His Harry.

**!5!**

**Snape's POV**

Severus Snape walked into Tom Riddle's classroom, opting out of knocking.

It was a Tuesday after classes and he had just had Harry Potter in his last class. The boy was still partnering with Longbottom for the project he had assigned and was acting increasingly odd. Snape had listened to Potter's conversation-or lack thereof- with his partner and noticed that the boy was snappish and irritable, something the boy could definitely not be classified as.

There was something strange about the boy and Severus knew that he had to find out about it fast if he were to help him. He didn't think he'd ever be forgiven if he let anything happen to the boy **(1).**Severus had a feeling that the change in Potter was somehow related to the change in Riddle and he was planning on confronting the man about it.

Riddle was standing at his bookcase, drumming his fingers on the side of the wood while Severus walked in as quietly as he could. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Snape?" Riddle's voice was soft and spoken lowly but was smooth as honey and an underline hiss of venom. His back was still facing Severus, his deep green robes billowing in the breeze.

Severus walked to the front of the class before the man's desk before he replied, "I want to know what is going on between you and Harry."

At the sound of Harry's name, Riddle stopped drumming his fingers and went rigid. The wind stopped blowing through the window and the entire world seemed to stop. Riddle took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

Severus was shocked to see that the man had some of his vampire characteristics, such as his skin that shone like moonshine and his eyes. Severus couldn't take his eyes off of the man, who was like no vampire he had ever seen in his life. He had grown accustomed to an inhuman look in a vampire but this had taken it to an entirely new level.

"W-W... Who are y-you?" Severus took a step back as fear ran through him. He had gotten in over his head; he had underestimated whom this man could have been. Severus didn't realize exactly who this man was when he walked in and that was a grave mistake.

Riddle walked up to Snape, slowly gliding across the floor until his face was exactly in Severus's. Snape felt himself being thrown into the air and slammed into the wall on the other side of the room. The impact was hard and the brick shuddered, he probably would have been crushed from the force of it, were he human.

Groaning, Severus attempted to rise to his feet but a hand grabbed his throat and threw him against the wall. Holding the other vampire there, Riddle leant in closely and whispered in the man's ear: "Stay away from both Harry and me. I understand why you are saying this but if you interfere again, I will kill you. "

Severus felt himself drop to the floor but his mind was too clouded for it to actually register in his brain. He lay there while trying to fight the horrible pain sprouting out from his back. His last thought before unconsciousness was that he wished he could explain to Harry who he was dealing with. The vampire wasn`t normal... Harry was dealing with a monster.

**!6!**

**General POV**

The day was cold. The wind blew harshly through the trees above, howling angrily in the otherwise silent air. The sky was a bleak grey, churning with mist that threatened rain so there was only so much time before it would be pouring.

A lone man stood among the graves at the site. The desolate place was overgrown with weeds that had taken over many of the graves, swallowing the gravestones. The white picket fence that gated in the place was broken, the paint faded from neglect. The path which had once run through it was gone.

The graveyard looked as though it hadn't been used in many years and the people whose souls resided there were forgotten. It was a forlorn place; there was no happiness, no matter how many wild flowers had grown there.

There was one grave that sat at the very end, it was kept up and looked perfect. The tombstone was large and white with withering white roses sitting before it. There were no weeds that touched it, just cleanly cut grass. It was peaceful in a place that held no happiness, and clearly did not mesh with the rest of the graveyard.

The man stood before this grave, his face grave. He slowly got to his knees and put a bundle of new white roses before the gravestone. He shuddered, closing his eyes so the tears that were welling behind his lids wouldn't fall. Taking a deep breath, the man whispered: "Lils, I'm here. I am so sorry, I know it's been so many years but I still want your forgiveness... for everything. You shouldn't be here; you should be with Sirius and Harry. I deserve to be the one gone."

The graveyard was completely silent and the man would have done anything to just get a sign, any sign that she forgave him but none came. "I am watching over Harry for you, I know you would have wanted me to. He is safe... he has so much of you in him Lils. He has your eyes, your deep green eyes. Harry is quite handsome and has a lot of friends, I know you're proud of him and I promise to tell him that one day."

Smiling forlornly, he moved the white roses to rest against her tomb. "I never knew if you liked white roses, Lils... but they seem so perfect for you. They're pure, innocent...just like you. You never knew of the evils in the world, were never tainted by them. I can't repay what I have taken from you, but I promise to never let it reach Harry. I'll keep him away from it all, I promise. He lives with Sirius, though I would have liked for him to live with his father but that's impossible now."

He sat there silently for a few more minutes. A gentle breeze had begun to blow through the yard, carrying the scent of flowers. The man raised his head and sniffed the air... it was the smell of roses, white roses. The man smiled softly and stared the woman's grave again. "I love you, Lily, I just wish that was enough."

**!7!**

**Harry's POV**

Something wasn't right with me.

I didn't understand why, but it was a feeling in my chest that wouldn't go away. I felt like there was a bubble in my chest that kept expanding until it made me want to pop. The feeling had begun after my last dream so I knew it was something the vampire was doing to me. It was strange though, the feeling seemed to be seeping into me from somewhere else, a feeling I couldn't begin to describe even if I tried **(2)**.

If I really tried it think about it, I might have been able to find the source somewhere in my mind, but I wanted to forget the feeling as it sometimes became overwhelming. The feeling was laced with intense longing, but for what I wasn't sure; Hell, I wasn't even sure if the feelings were my own.

I wasn't sure about much of anything in my life now to be honest.

I sighed and stretched back in an armchair in the common room. A few other Gryffindor's sat around me, all chattering about pointless things they'd never actually need to know about or waste their time thinking about. I was catching a few stray bits of conversations but wasn't really trying to listen; it was only when Ron's name came into the conversation that I really sat up straighter and listened to the conversation.

Dean was grinning at Lavender and Parvati as he stated, "Yeah, Weasley's a bloody liar. He keeps going on about how we shouldn't be allowed outside while not during classes because he figures there's something in the woods. At first, it was just kind of annoying but now I am fed up. He is really scaring some of the younger kids, a lot of us agree that he is just looking for attention."

Lavender nodded and leaned in closer to whisper, "I used to think he was okay but now I agree with you. He is trying to get attention and everyone in my dormitory is at their wit's end with him. A few people from other houses are beginning to realize what an attention-hogging liar he is, too. Hopefully he'll eventually just shut up."

Parvati nodded. "I think it's because he was the youngest boy in a huge family, his parents don't love him as much so he tried to get all of us to pay attention to him."

Lavender shook her head and sighed. "We shouldn't feel bad for him though because he is being a fool. I heard he meets with McGonagall so he can try and get these issues out... maybe he's just going crazy. He may have lost a few too many brain cells when he passed out and this was the result. I really hope not; I don't want to sleep in the same house as a crazy person."

"I agree," Dream nodded. "If this keeps on then I'm going to ask McGonagall if she'll consider changing him into his own rooms. No one likes him here anyway, the only person that will talk to him is Harry but he isn't all that likable nowadays either. He's all moody and snaps at people all the time, like he's better than is just because he can play Quidditch."

Did they not care that I was ten feet away from them?

Pavarti sighed. "We should have realized that Harry was an ass though, with how he treats professor Riddle. He acts like that man should lick his feet." Her voice was cold and I expected to grow angry over what she said but the emotion never came. I just felt... indifferent towards her.

"You shut up about Harry!"

I turned around to see Ron standing before the group with his face so red it could match his hair. His eyes were squinted and his teeth were bared in anger. "I don't care if you idiots bad-mouth me but Harry doesn't deserve it. He's done nothing to you ever but yet you still want to keep acting like he's an asshole to you? Find something worthwhile to do with your lives, just because you have nothing better to do doesn't mean you can gossip so much, it's not fair."

Ignoring the group's stunned faces, he looked up at me with a small smile and beaconed to upstairs. "C'mon mate, let's get out of here."

I nodded mutely and followed the redhead up the stairs quickly, not saying a word to the people I passed. They didn't say a single word to us as we left, and that was something I was definitely grateful for.

I shook my head at my friend and grinned, "Thanks mate."

The redhead simply shrugged with an easy smile. "They had it coming, don't worry about it. I've wanted to do that for a while, I was just waiting for a proper excuse for it." His voice was light and it was clear that he was pretty proud of himself.

There was one thing bothering though. Ron had been so willing to stand up for me in front of the group of idiotic Gryffindors with nothing better to do with their lives than just talk about other people. It was been really nice of him and something I entirely didn't expect from the usually not so brave Weasley. It made me glad to have a friend like him. What was bothering me, though, was that I didn't even think once to stand up for him when they were saying stuff that would have been really insulting.

I didn't understand myself anymore. Some things meant nothing to me anymore, like standing up for my friends while others meant too much to me like the way the vampire would look at me with such intensity in my dreams. I didn't know myself anymore, I had changed; I sure as hell didn't like the new me, but I didn't know how to make things right again.

Nothing would be normal with me, but now I didn't know if I even deserved normality.

**Any guesses on who would never forgive poor snape?**

**(2)Can anyone guess what changed during this dream? **

A/N- Thanks for all of the great reviews for my last chapter guys, they were fun to read. I am so sorry that I only got to answer a few. School has been getting progressively more difficult and I can't think of a day this year that I didn't have to go home with a bunch of homework. I tried to get this one out faster for you guys, because you left so many great reviews. Thanks for everyone's condolences for my friend, it was really great of you guys.

If anyone had anything they'd like to see in the next couple of chapters or has any questions then feel free to ask. I know there's a lot of unanswered questions you guys must have (especially after this chapter) but I promise that everything will work out eventually.

And, as always, thanks to my awesome beta who has greatly improved my story in a short amount of time: .Placeholder. She is writing an awesome Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover that I personally loved (and I don't usually like crossovers). It's called New world, New hopes**.**

**Here's the summary for it: **Betrayed by the Wizarding World, Harry is sentenced for execution: Except, the Veil isn't an execution tool. Thrust into Alagaesia, how will Harry cope with new pressures for being a Rider? Post-DH

Okay,

Until my next update,

Lizzie's Last Night


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